Terrible
by Sharon Stoppable
Summary: The forty-ninth Hunger Games got out-shined by the Quarter Quell that followed, but was still full of twists and turns that no viewer would've ever expected. This being a crossover, some characters resemble the nations we know. Inspired by Number One Fan of Journey's Brutal series.
1. Leaders and followers

**Gerome Manning, District One **

"Get out of our faces, you worthless piece of dirt!" says Gang-leader Addison Hale. The small girl she was yelling at, Judi, squeaks and starts to run off, until Addison catches her and hisses, "If you come our way again, I'll kill you. You understand?"

Judi nods, which apparently isn't enough for Addison. She takes Judi's arm and twists it round, and I'm pretty sure I hear a snap. "Do. You. Understand?" Addis shouts, as she tosses Judi into the dirt.

"Y-yes…" Judi sobs, as she runs home. I hope somebody can do something about her arm. I've never seen Addis do something like that. She looks pretty satisfied with herself.

Addis, with her scraggly dark brown hair, crooked nose and beady eyes, is not a beautiful person. I get this feeling that she's jealous of me, even though I'm a boy, for having blond hair and icy blue eyes. She doesn't yell at me, though; Addis takes her anger out on other people. That's why she formed her Gang. In the Gang Clubhouse, which is basically just a tree house, Addison rants on about how awful Judi is.

"That _pathetic excuse_ of a_ person_; how dare she trespass our land! Ugh, if she comes our way one more time, I swear I'm gonna-"

"Why are we doing this?" I cut in. "Why are we torturing that little girl again? She's never done anything terrible to us."

"She ratted us out, remember? When we were having a little fun_, _harassing the ice cream store owner into giving us free shakes, she saw and went and told our parents. We weren't hurting anybody; it was all in good fun. But _somebody_ doesn't have a good sense of humor." Addis has a scary sense of logic.

"Did you have to break her arm?" I ask.

"Who cares?" she says, which is Addis's standard response to when I ask her a question she doesn't want to answer. "Come on, we'll be late for the Reaping."

* * *

We find our way to Town Square, where the Reaping ceremony commences. I push through groups of people until I find my spot, the fifteens section. Addison goes over to the sixteens section. Addis smiles at me, the "_I'm so ready for this"_ type of smile. I smile back weakly in return.

_Why do I even hang out with her in the first place?_ I think to myself._ I only stick with her because she wouldn't hurt me if I joined her gang._ I had accepted her offer, not wanting to face daily near-death encounters due to her.

And Gang-Leader Addison she became. I became her lowly follower, though she calls me her Second in Command. I think about whether or not it was worth it to join her to the point that I don't hear my name being called.

"Gerome Manning!" What? I was picked? I rush up to the stage, even though I see a few other boys trying to get there first. They're fellow Careers, like me and Addis, and they're trying to volunteer for tribute. We'll see about that. I push them out of the way and head for the stage.

**Addison Hale, District One**

I have nothing against a little brutality towards people I find unworthy of respect. Namely Judi, that annoying little jerk who causes me nothing but trouble. That's why I created the Gang. It is formally called the "Torture Judi Social Club Gang." We are known as the Socs, short for the "Social" part of the title, or just plainly The Gang. Gerome is my best ally, my second in command; I help him in his times of need and vice versa.

We met several years ago.

_A boy is slumped up against a brick wall. I almost don't notice him until I trip over him. I look down to see his face. He is a blonde, and his eyes are a blue ice._

_Whoa. I have never met someone as perfect looking as him. This boy is gorgeous. I wish I looked like that. Why did I get stuck with stupid brown hair and brown eyes? I swear, only the merchants look like that. I'm from the _better_ part of town, where there are far more blondes. _

_This boy, despite his awesome appearance, looks miserable. "Need a hand?" I say, reaching out to him. He looks at me and says, "Aren't you that phycho from my English Class?" _

_I roll my eyes. "Need a _hand_?" I ask again, with a little more force. _

_"Fine," he says, grabbing it. "What happened?" I ask._

_"My friends and I-we got into a fight. They blamed me for everything even though I didn't start it in the first place. They took my wallet, too, so now I'm kind of broke," _

_"Oh. Wow. That's real sad. I could help you, if you'd like," I say. "Hey, I never got your name," _

_"Gerome Manning," he says. _

_"Okay, cool," I say. "I'm Addison Hale." _

I promised him that I'd build him up strong, stronger than any of his so-called friends, and it shows. We are Careers, we have to be strong. Becoming a Career was my idea, too.

_"Let's become Careers," I tell Gerome. "It's such an obvious choice. We are strong and do enjoy fighting. Besides, it would make us even scarier. You know you want to look scary."_

_"I don't know," says Gerome._

_"Why not? We get to train with weapons, Gerome! We'll get to bring glory to our District." _

_Gerome doesn't answer._

_"What?" I say._

_"Well…"_

_"Well, what!?" I nearly shriek._

_"Won't that mean we'll have to kill?" Gerome finally asks. I burst into laughter. _

_"Duh! Of course it means we'll have to kill, Gerome! Seriously, what is this, first grade? You know you'd have to kill in the Hunger Games," I say. _

_"Doesn't that bother you?" he asks._

_"Not really," I say. It doesn't, actually, which I guess is pretty good if we're going to be in the Hunger Games. _

_"So, Gerome, what do you say?" _

_"Fine, I'm in." _

And Careers we became.

I hope Judi gets reaped, being a twelve-year-old. She surly isn't a Career. Yeah, that would show her, the little Lowlife. Just as I start envisioning her helpless little face as she stands in the arena about to face her doom I hear two words that change everything.

"Addison Hale!"

I was reaped. _I, Addison Hale, was reaped._ Part of me wants to yell, "Oh yeah! I'm so gonna win this thing!", but part of me wants to scream. I may be a Career, but I know there is a certain chance of death. I don't deserve death.

Whatever. I shouldn't doubt myself. I am going to win this. I'm Gang Leader Addis, and I am going to do whatever it takes to win. Like I said before, I'm gonna fight_ brutally_.


	2. Siblings

**Talia Venez, District 3**

"I don't have time for this, Talia! Just look into my eyes, for crying out loud," says my brother Romano.

"No!" I shout. I close my eyes.

"We're supposed to make eye contact with people when we talk to them," says Romano.

I squeeze my eyes shut even more while Romano swears.

"Talia, we don't have time for this! We have to go soon, could you just cooperate?"

Bickering with Romano doesn't stop all of these terrible thoughts from rushing through my head like it does every year. It's Reaping Day, where Tributes get picked to fight to the death in the annual Hunger Games.

I twirl my hair curl. It's something that Romano hates but I do it anyway.

"Quit doing that! It's not acceptable," he says, pulling my hand away from my auburn curl. I scream at him. The palm of his hand collides with his face and lets out a groan. Then he leans down and wraps me up in his arms, making sure I'm all right.

"Everything will be okay," Romano says. "Everything. Now, don't just stand here sobbing, we've got to go to the Reaping."

"It's Pasta Day, Romano," I say, suddenly remembering. "After the Reaping we can have some pasta, right?"

We always have pasta on Pasta Day, Reaping or no Reaping.

"Of course," Romano says. "Of course,"

* * *

Town Square is very LOUD. Everybody's talking all at once and I can't distinguish one sound from another. I don't like this at all! I hold my ears to block out the noise. Romano rubs his temple.

The talking dies down as the Capitol escort comes onto the stage. She fixes the microphone so it matches her size. The microphone makes a sharp _screech_ and I scream. Several people turn around and look at me. Romano swears at them and they look away.

"You shouldn't be using those words," I say.

"I didn't want those people to bother you," he says. "Besides, you swear, too,"

Not as much as him.

The Capitol Lady says, "Let's switch things up this year," What? "This year we shall have ladies first." Ladies first? They're going to pick the girl first? My name has been entered four times. Romano's name has been entered seven times. We don't take tesserae.

There are people less fortunate than me, meaning they are poor and have to take tesserae. Some of them have their names entered twenty times because they need the food. Romano feels bad for those people. He once said, "Can you imagine how some of your classmates feel, risking their lives just so they can have a little more food on their tables?"

I can't.

Capitol Lady picks out the name for the female tribute. "Talia Venez!" she says. _Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no! _This can't be happening! Please don't let this happen!

"Talia? Talia Venez? Are you here?" the lady asks. I am going to scream. I am going to scream right now.

Romano says, "Don't cry, Tal. It'll give you a bad image. You'll drive the sponsors away. Just get to the stage, okay?" He is usually right. I nod, and try to hold back the urge to cry.

I can't.

I fall to the ground and shriek. People are yelling at me and I hate yelling. My screams get louder and so does everything else and I can't stand it! There is too much noise, too many people, too much information to process. I cry even harder, I can't even tell what's going on around me anymore.

I hear one voice above the mayhem. The voice calls out, "Talia!" It's Romano. He picks me up and gives me a hug. "You can do it, Talia. Just get to the stage," He goes back to where he was standing, muttering something about _meltdowns_ and _sponsors._ I wipe my eyes with my sleeve and sniff one last time.

I think I'm going to faint. I shake as I walk onto the stage, where I pass out.

**Romano Venez, District 3**

When Talia and I were dropped off at Grandpa's house, Talia and I made a promise to stay together. I have to take care of her, despite her being somewhat annoying at times. She acts differently from other kids her age, definitely not like a regular fifteen-year old. She doesn't usually get jokes and doesn't seem to make eye contact with, like, anyone.

Mom and Dad didn't want to take care of all of Talia's needs. They didn't want to put up with another mouth to feed, either, so they just dumped us with Grandpa.

Grandpa is very nice, and we don't live in poverty. I've tried to explain to Talia how lucky we are to not be poor, but she doesn't seem to understand. We have a respectable house and Grandpa makes enough money for us to live comfortably. He buys Talia paints and paper because she's got an amazing talent in art. I'm shocked-if a little jealous- that she can paint so well and yet not understand social cues.

Despite her having artistic ability, she annoys me to no end. I complained about her to my friend, Spagna, once. You know what he did? He looked at me and said: "She can't help it, you know." He gave me a look that said 'what is wrong with you?' and walked away.

As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. Talia can't help the fact that she's autistic, and it makes me seem like a jerk to talk about her behind her back.

After Spagna and I spoke, I honestly felt terrible. I needed to do something to make up for being mean to Talia. I decided to become Talia's protector from then on. I try hard, but being kind and considerate are not things I normally do. I'm not normally the friendliest person in the District.

Talia can't survive without me, especially in the Hunger Games. Nobody's going to sponsor her after her meltdown.

I need to save her.

"And now, it is time to choose our male tribute," says the escort. She's just picked Talia up from the stage. Talia is awake and crying again. Oh man. I'm not letting Talia go into the Games without me. She'll be hopeless in the Games. I just can't stand to watch her die. I just can't-

"I volunteer for tribute!" I shout. Talia will not die without me there for her. I will try to get us as far in the Games as possible. I know that she won't be able to win, so I'm going to win for the both of us.

"Oh-okay!" the escort says, slightly dumbfounded. "What's your name, mister?"

"My name is Romano Venez, and I want to keep my sister safe."

_Author's Note: This chapter sort of branched off of some headcanon for North Italy that I came up with one time. I hope nobody minds the sort-of re-imagining of Italy and such. Reviews and constructive criticism make my world go 'round, by the way._


	3. Confidence

**Canada Williams, District Twelve**

This is my second time in the Justice Building. I had to say goodbye to my twin sister, Usa, last year. She saved her best friend, Alice, from participating in the games. As heroic as her move was, she didn't come back.

How will I survive the interviews? They're going to ask questions about how I feel about being in the Games like my sister. I'm not great at talking to people. Usa used to do all the talking for us combined.

Usa and I were pretty much polar opposites.

She was outgoing, I was shy.

She was adventurous, while I was glad to stay inside.

She was obnoxious, I was polite.

She could out-eat anyone on a casual dare, while I told her that we shouldn't be eating more than our fill.

Usa was so full of confidence, while I didn't have speck.

And now … I'm just Canada. I don't know _what _to make of myself.

My parents arrive to say their final goodbyes. It's especially hard on them since this is the second time they're doing this. They know I'm not going to come back. I know I'm not going to come back.

Mom and Dad haven't been getting along lately. They've been arguing for countless nights, ending their fights in a shouting match. Right now, though, they can't seem to leave each other's side. Together, the two of them give me a big hug.

"We're going to miss you very much, my little love," Mom whispers. She has that way of speaking that makes anyone she talks to feel loved.

"D-do try your hardest in the arena," says Dad, "We don't want to lose you like… _Usa,_" he whispers Usa's name. Mom and Dad loved Usa to bits, she was obviously their favorite. She was a Daddy's Girl, whilst I take after Mom.

I start to cry. I'm worried about what's in store for my family. I…think Mom and Dad are going to get divorced. It would make them much happier to not live together. As much as I'd like my parents to be happy, I don't want my family to fall apart completely.

Maybe I should tell them about my concerns, but it might hurt their feelings or something. I don't want to make my parents more upset. "I love you," I tell the both of them and then my parents are ushered out by a Peacekeeper.

There's one more visitor. Alice. She looks at me and gives me a hug. "Usa and I were good friends, you know. What she did to save me is something I can't compensate for. I gave Usa her District token, and I'll give you one, too, okay?"

Alice hands me a pair of glasses. Say what?

"They don't have lenses in them," she says. "They're my good luck charm for tests and I think you're going to need them more than me."

"Thanks," I say. I didn't expect Alice to show up, and I certainly didn't expect her to give me my District token. I put the glasses on. They fit.

A peacekeeper says Alice's time is almost up. She hugs me again and says, "I hope you make it, Canada. You're amazing, even if you don't think so. You're capable of so much. I…I don't want to see your potential go to waste." Alice slips out the door.

"Thank you," I say just as she's out of earshot.

****Even now, I still don't have any confidence to speak of.

**Reise Cray, District Twelve **

I'm surprisingly excited about this whole Hunger Games mess I'm going to be thrown into. I'm seriously excited, actually.

Let me tell you one thing: I love the Hunger Games. They're just so cool! I mean, the action! The blood! The epic killings! What's not to like?

I love scary action. The Hunger Games are as scary as things can get, and I'm going to be in them. Killing doesn't even concern me, as I've

been watching multiple Games to prepare me. Who's afraid of a little blood? Not Reise.

My parents look concerned. Do they think I don't know how to survive in the Hunger Games or something? They hand me a spiral bound book. It's a notebook.

"We were going to give this to you for your birthday," says Mom, "But now that you've been reaped…"

"Don't worry," I say. "Please don't, you're going to worry me," I don't want some worrying to dampen my mood.

"Stay strong," says Dad. Don't worry, Dad, I'll be as strong as can be. I want to return home so bad. I want to come home and become a writer. If I become this Game's Victor, I'll be able to write really convincing horror stories.

I could write some of my ongoing horror story in my notebook! That's a great idea. I guess I could also write about the Games as they go on, too.

My parents don't seem to understand that I'm _excited_ about the Hunger Games. They are scared for me because I might die, but I'm excited because I might live. I can be very morbid at times, always writing stories where everyone dies, but I'm quite sure of living through the Games. In the Training Center, we're going to learn to work with weapons, right? I'm a fast learner; I bet I could become as good as a Career.

Okay. That's a lie. I will learn how to hide and camouflage and stuff, and maybe learn to work a spear or something, but I don't think I'll be as good with a weapon as a Career. I'm great with memorization and recognition, so learning about edible plants and how to hunt might be right up my alley as well.

Once I learn, everyone better watch out, because even if I'm not going to be the greatest with weapons, I'll be the greatest with wit. With my smarts, the Careers won't know what hit them.


	4. Watching Over You

**Susan Berwald District Ten**

I can't believe it. I just can't believe it at all. I'm in a freaking_ train_ heading for the freaking _Capitol_ where I'll be shipped off to my freaking _death!_

Let's look on the bright side: at least Tino is going with me.

Wait. Tino is going with me. Tino is going to die. _I'm_ going to die.

Don't think like that! I'm going to keep Tino alive. I've loved him all my life. I always watch out for him at school. He's the nervous type, always a little fidgety, and always seems a little scared. He seems a little scared of _me_.

He might have a point to being afraid of me. I do look pretty unapproachable, being super tall and having an angry-looking face. My hair is blonde just like his and I wear glasses. Tino is nervous, I am calm. We are made for each other. He just doesn't know it yet.

Tino and I go way back to when we were little. I was the only kid about his age on our block, so our parents would set up playdates for us. I was happy about that. I had a little-kid crush on Tino at the time. We played the most awesome games together. I came up with the idea of playing runaways, carrying sticks with hankies tied to the ends of them. I called the game "Runnin' away with Su," and it was so much fun. We made hideouts from tree branches, and ate our dinners outside together.

I doubt that the Hunger Games will be anything like playing runaways.

* * *

I wish I weren't so shy. I try to talk to Tino, but I always end up mumbling. I think I'll attempt to make some conversation with him. I want to be able to talk to him without him running away. Luckily, you can't really run away when you're on a train.

I'm going to clear things up, make sure Tino isn't afraid of me. I'm not scary at all; I'm just a girl who watches over the things she holds dear very carefully. And Tino is very dear to me, too. I'm going to make Tino fall in love with me as soon as possible.

It's not like I have much time.

**Tino Finn, District Ten**

She's staring at me, all right. That girl, Susan, is staring at me. She's really tall and looks sort of like she's gonna bite me or something. It makes me a bit uncomfortable.

"Ms. Susan, p-please stop staring at me," I say, in my over-polite manner. It's the best thing I can do in this situation, being polite. I don't think it will help me in the Hunger Games, but for now, my manners are the only thing keeping me from sounding stupid.

"'k," she says. "I j'st th'nk y'r cute," she mumbles. Susan goes pink in the face and turns away.

I think she said "I think you're cute," Nobody has said that to me before without a joking or sarcastic tone. Even though she's kind of scary looking, she seems nice…ish.

Maybe I like her, just a little bit. I bet I could fall in love with her. Nobody's ever been in love with me before and I'd like to have a little romance before I die.

* * *

We get called in for dinner. I am amazed with the selection of food there is. These capitol chefs really know how to cook! We have meatballs of some sort, I'm not good with names. They taste better than any food that I've ever eaten. Why can't the Districts get food like this? That just isn't fair. At least we get to have some now. Susan seems to be enjoying her food, too. She turns to me.

"T'no," Susan mumbles, "H'w's 't g'ng?"

"Aside from being reaped for the Hunger Games, my day has been absolutely swell," I say.

Susan giggles. She's super tall and super scary, but her laugh is kind of cute.

"I hope you do well in the Hunger Games," I say. There isn't much else to talk about. Somehow, discussing stories we read for school seems rather pointless.

"You, too," she says, seriously. She must be pretty darn serious if she didn't mumble to me. Susan's face turns red again, and she goes back to her meatballs. A few moments later, she speaks again.

"If someone tried to hurt you, I'd kill them," She really is serious.

"Really?" I ask.

"R'lly." Susan says, mumbling again.

* * *

Man, I really hope I can make the train ride without feeling a little scared of her. I really want to love Susan. I bet I can.

I really _hope _I can fall in love with her.


	5. Stepbrother, Stepsister

_Author's note: I'd like to thank Number One Fan of Journey, Snuffy of the Wind and Arctica Corniculata Cirrhata for being such awesome reviewers! Also, I had a little trouble with the ending of this chapter. My brain sort of went kaput on me. Enjoy..._

* * *

**Russo Ginski, District Six**

Was the Reaping rigged or something? It must've, since my stepsister and I are now on the train heading to the Capitol.

The train, I admit, is pretty cool. It's so big! Big, as in, I can't hit my head on the door frame like I do back at home. There are a ton of clothes for you to try on. I bet Tasha's having a blast with that.

Tasha, my stepsister, will never leave me alone. Ever. She's kind of attracted to me, which is really awkward because we are kind of related. Our parent's got married last spring, and I'm still getting used to it. Tasha was happy to move into our house right from the start.

We had three bedrooms in our house: one for the parents, one for me and one for Tasha. Ours were right next to each other, and she would constantly barge in on me. It was really annoying and an invasion of privacy. My room is special to me, the only place where I can have some peace, you know? There, I can read all I like, or just daydream.

I miss my room. I miss my mom and my dad and our older sister, Kate. She's such a worrywart. She absolutely freaked when Tasha and I were reaped, and would've volunteered if she weren't twenty.

I hope I get to live to twenty.

"Russo, Tasha, it's suppertime!" calls our escort. He is this airheaded Capitol-goer who looks a tad bit green, and I'm not sure if it's dye. I think all Capital-goers are airheads. The way they speak is just so annoying, isn't it?

Tasha joins the table and then a soup of some sort is served. It's rather spicy, with chicken in it, I think. No meal I've eaten in the past has tasted like this.

"Enjoying the meal, Tasha?" I ask. Even if she's kind of obsessed with me, she's my district partner. We have to talk to each other. It's not like I'm going to abandon/kill her because she's in love with me or something. That's terrible. I'd _never _do that to a sister of mine.

"It's good, but a little spicy," Tasha replies. Her mind seems to be on something else right now. I'll let her be. My mind, on the other hand, is on food.

I wonder what we'll eat next. I think I can get used to the Capitol. I mean, this food will give me some extra weight in the Games, so I should eat as much as possible, yes?

I don't have much of a strategy yet, so I guess I should do what I do best: eat. I happily await the next course to arrive.

**Tasha Ginski, District Six**

Wow. There are so many clothes in here! My drawers only held several faded dresses. On the train, there's more selection than in the local store!

My room is so cool here, far cooler than the one at home. Plus, Russo's bedroom is right next to mine, just like back at home. I like being close to Russo. I love him so much. I want us to get married. We can't do that, though, because our parent's married first. Being Russo's stepsister isn't bad, but it means I don't get to be his wife. I really want to be his wife.

I would love him to love me back. Oh, that would be great. Hmm, I wonder what other clothes are in this drawer. Is there anything a little more revealing in here? I like my tunics as much as the next person, but I'd like to look a little more mature.

Maybe Russo would like it better if I looked mature. I try on several outfits, each one a little bit nicer than the previous. I finally settle on a navy blue dress. I check myself out in a full-view mirror. Not bad, I think, just as I'm called to dinner.

* * *

Russo doesn't even notice my makeover! This sucks, especially as I brushed my hair and got to use all of these cool creams that made my skin glow and all of that good stuff. Does everyone in the Capitol live like this? Why can't we have these creams back at home? Why is Russo paying more attention to his soup than he is me?

Does he even care? I look so much better than I did back at home. I didn't always brush my hair everyday back at home, so my hair was generally messy. I would just put a headband on, maybe a bow, and call it a day. The difference really shows, and he doesn't even care!

I might as well enjoy the food, even though my excitement has since faded. We just ate a spicy chicken soup, and now we're having a sweet stew of an animal I've never seen in my life. It tastes very good; I don't think I could make something like this at home. Who would've thought of making a sweet stew?

Our last course is dessert. Oh my gosh, dessert. It's ice cream with mounds of cream and chocolate. We have never eaten such a lavish dessert in my house, not even on the wedding.

Only halfway done with my ice cream, I'm incredibly full.

"Want the rest?" I ask Russo, shoving my bowl over to him.

"Sure! Thanks, Tash. You're the best," he says. He proceeds to devour the rest of the ice cream. If giving Russo the rest of my ice cream is the way of getting him to praise me, so be it. I wish that he'd fall in love with me, but I guess it'd be fine by me for us to just be friends. And It looks like we're on that track already.


	6. Just a Kid

_Author's Note: "What? Another train ride?" Well, I was going to write another goodbye scene but, out of carelessness, I forgot. So… yeah. Another train scene it is. Hope y'all don't mind. _

_Reviews are always welcome, by the way. I want to know what I'm doing right, what I need to work on, etc._

**Just a kid**

**Sealand Peters, District Eight **

My mentor hasn't been giving me much advice on winning the game. I don't think she thinks I can win. I'm only twelve, but a thirteen-year-old one last year, right? I could do that. I think. I don't really want to kill anybody.

I want to listen to some music since there's a radio inside the train, but my mentor shouts to turn it off. She's nuts. I ask her why she doesn't like music and she just gives me a glare. Mei says that she lost her boyfriend in the Games, and he was a musician.

Oh. That's really, really sad. I don't know what to say to her, so I go to my room. It's nearing bedtime. As I wash my face, I think of something. Strategy. I need to think of a strategy for the Games. I don't know what the arena will be like, but I can think back to the previous Hunger Games. There was that mountain used a few times, but I don't think the Gamemakers will do that again.

What if it's a desert? Will we have one spot of water that we'll all have to fight over? I bet the Careers would stake out their camp by that. I hate those water-stealing Careers already!

How do I know if it'll be a desert, anyway? It could be a cliff with a shark-filled moat. It could be a meadow with evil rabbit mutts. The arena could be a giant cone of poisonous ice cream for all I know.

I consider my possible options. If there's water, I can swim. If there's a Career, I could run. I think. I was never the fastest runner in school, but maybe I could run away fast with a burst of adrenaline?

I need a nap.

* * *

It's rather hard to fall asleep on a train. Even if I could take a nap, I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about what happened prior to the reaping. I wish I hadn't gotten into this fight with my brother before the Reaping Ceremony. I wanted to be more independent from him and I made my statement by sleeping outside in the fort in the pond.

The fort was my hideaway. It was on top of a big rock that was in the middle of the pond in our backyard. My brother and I shared it when he was young, but as he got older he stopped going to it. Then, the fort became mine. When he found me sleeping outside, he started shouting at me that I was being an, as he put it, an "obnoxious git" and would tell Mum. It ended with us yelling at each other and then having to stay at separate corners of the house for an hour.

Maybe if we hadn't gotten into that fight, my brother would've volunteered for me. Does he regret not volunteering for me?

Right now, it's much too late to do anything about the reaping. I was reaped, I'm on a train, and I have no idea what will come next. I'm just a kid, what did you expect?

**Mei Tai, District Eight**

I wash my black hair with all of the fancy shampoos and conditioners that the train has to offer. If they've got it, I might as well use it. Washing up is always a good distraction. I need to take my mind off of the Hunger Games.

I mean, what am I going to do? I'm thirteen, one of the youngest. Sealand is only twelve. The odds are _not_ in our favor. How in the name of Panem will either of us survive?

Washing up isn't serving as a good distraction. Maybe I need more soap. I've been trying out all the soaps in the bathroom. It's probably been about two hours since I've entered the bathroom, and everyone else is likely wondering if I fell into the toilet. One last soap, and then I'll call it quits. I give it a sniff. It's plum scented.

* * *

Will Sealand be my ally for the Hunger Games? It would make me feel better if I had at least a bit of a plan. Neither of us is cut out for winning the Hunger Games, but it's nice to have an ally. Should I ask him?

"Sealand," I call over to him, "can we be allies?" Sealand looks at me.

"Sure…" he says. His eyes well up with tears. "I so scared, Mei. I don't wanna die. I don't want you to die, either. I want to live. I wish I never…I don't know! I wish the Hunger Games didn't exist. I'm going to die and there's nothing I can do about it!"

"I don't want to die, either!" I wail. I can't refuse to think about dying anymore. I'm going to die in the Hunger Games. I'm only thirteen, just a kid. I'm not going to last.

"Let's make a promise," I say, "We will be allies. As allies, we will always be there for each other. There until we die, okay?"

"Okay," says Sealand, "It's a plan." He starts to sniffle. I do, too.

"Hug me?" I ask. He nods and we embrace. We hug and sob together for the remainder of the train ride.


	7. Stupidity

_To Snuffy of the Wind: Don't worry, I'll get to the killings soon. I have to get the introductions out of the way. _

_Reviewing is a very nice thing to do and makes me feel appreciated. So thank you for those who have left such awesome reviews. They always make me smile._

_Another thing: Traz may annoy you a bit… _

_Now, let's get this show on the road. Allons-y!_

**Traz Arbanasch, District Eleven **

Getting outfitted for the chariot rides isn't fun at all. I feel ridiculous. My outfit looks like a cotton plant. It's so stupid.

Now the stupid prep team is plucking every hair off of my body. This is just so embarrassing. It'll be even worse when we get paraded around in those stupid chariots.

What's up with the chariot ride anyway? The Capitol shows us off in the weirdest outfits the stylists can make, so not only will most of us dies terrible deaths, we get humiliated on national television.

Now that's stupid, isn't it? This cotton plant costume thing looks all wrong on a buff guy like me. I've been working out, doing all I can to gain a bit of muscle. Hopefully they'll give me some advantage in the Hunger Games. I do all of the digging for the plants and stuff to grow. I turn over the dirt and haul it in wheelbarrows and weed whenever I can. I do anything for extra strength.

This is by far the stupidest idea ever. The Hunger Games must die, as well as these freaking stupid chariot rides! I hate everyone in this stupid Capitol, especially the stupid prep team.

I argue with the prep team. "Why do I have to wear this stupid thing?" I shout.

This one lady with bright red hair smiles at me. "Agriculture is your district's industry, ain't it? We wanted to put y'all in something crop related."Something about the way she says "y'all" and "ain't" really tick me off. _ Why are you talking like you're from my district, anyway? It's not like you're part of one of the poorest districts. You don't have to work hard. You don't deserve to speak the slang of District Eleven! We work our tails off here! We have earned the accent, and it's special to us. It is not yours. You have so much stuff, anyway, so why do you want our accent? _ She doesn't need it. Even though it's true,I don't actually say anything. I don't want to make the situation any worse.

I finally say, "Why did you make my costume so stupid?"

"It is not stupid! The designers worked hard on your outfits. Now come on, we're going to get your makeup on now," Says the red-haired prep lady.

Dear lord, somebody get me out of this stupid thing.

**Chelsea Sey, District Eleven**

Traz doesn't have a very large vocabulary, and it shows. Every other sentence he says has "stupid" in it. I'm not pleased with being in the Hunger Games, either, but at least I have enough words to get my point across.

The cotton plant costume fits considerably better on me than it does Traz. That doesn't mean that it actually looks good, though; it only means I look slightly more presentable.

One lucky thing is that my stylists let me keep my bows. They're my district token, and I don't want to go anywhere without them. It took a while but here's how the whole conversation went:

"The bows will have to go!" said the head stylist.

"Why?" I asked, "They're not getting in the way of the costume or anything."

"They don't fit with the outfit at all!" he snapped. Yikes. The last thing you want while getting prepped for a chariot ride is a flamboyant stylist telling you to take out your hair bows.

A young woman with a lavender complexion came up to him. "Just let her be," she said. "In case you didn't remember, Chelsea's going into the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are stressful. Chelsea is very stressed out. Just let her wear her bows, okay?"

"Fine," the stylist grumbled, "just keep the bows."

And now I'm in the chariot. Traz is being really immature. He's not representing our district very well at all. With the way he's acting, neither of

us will get sponsored.

I don't have any skills. I'm friendly, but I don't know how much that will help. Being friendly could help strike up an alliance, but the only people worth allying with are the Careers, and they ally with each other. So that's out. I wish I knew what to do. I don't know how to use weapons, and even though I've got some strength, I'm not that powerful. I'm fourteen, and I haven't been working as long as the others in the district. I wish I could find some skill so I could get some donations.

Donations would be fantastic. My family probably wouldn't be able to send me anything because we aren't well off in the slightest. Having someone sponsor me would be the only way to go.

In the chariot I smile and wave, trying to keep a friendly persona. I'm so nervous that Traz is going to mess things up with all of his pouting and scowling, all I can do is to counter his actions.

What do my parents think of all this? They're definitely heartbroken that their only daughter is going to participate in the Hunger Games. I mean, think of the odds! There are twenty-four of us, only one of us is going to live. While my odds are better than some, they're still not the greatest. My parents have every right to be worried about me. They also have every right to be horrified about this costume I'm in, too.

…I would be, if I were them.

Just the thought of them seeing me in this insane getup makes me chuckle a little. It surly helps lift my mood. It also helps me keep my friendly persona going. I sure hope I can continue to act like this for the remainder of the night.


	8. Talents

**Rod Austro, District Nine **

Every bad thing in my life can be associated with the Hunger Games. I lost my girlfriend, Honey, due to them. Our relationship was pretty serious, and I was convinced we were going to get married one day.

That was two years ago. I should've moved on by now, but I haven't. Honey and I were great together, we'd known each other since we were young, and had been going out since we were twelve. I was sure we'd be together forever.

Forever is a short time in Panem, though. Nothing lasts. Honey said that she was so happy to have shared a short forever with me when I visited her. I couldn't have said it any better.

I played Honey and a goodbye song on my violin. I don't have much skill when it comes to the Hunger Games, but I have been called a musical genius on multiple occasions. Violin and piano are my two greatest passions, and feel extremely fortunate to have even an old secondhand violin to call my own.

My violin couldn't come with me, so I can't play music. That's another bad thing associated with the Games. My district token is a quarter-note shaped charm on a chain that Honey gave me before she was reaped.

I had objected when she first pointed that charm out. Said it was too girly. Honey doesn't-I mean _didn't_-listen to anyone then, so she bought me the charm. I pointed out that she was spending all of her money on me.

"So?" she said. "Anything for my boyfriend,"

I fiddle around with my charm as I think of what to do. It's lunchtime. I sit away from the rest of the tributes; I really want nothing to do with them. I can't get close to anyone, especially if they're going to die. I don't want anyone to get close to me, in case I die. There was that tribute several years ago who became good friends with his allies, and was absolutely devastated when he lost them. I don't want to lose anyone else.

For lunch, I eat a sausage roll and have some cake. As much as I hate the Hunger Games, I'm glad we get some good food before we go out and kill each other.

Will I be able to kill? It's not like I've made friends with any of the tributes, so I won't feel as bad if I kill them.

For all I care, these guys are all morons. I truly couldn't care _less_ if they live or die. All I want is to get out alive, and not have any allies. I don't want to become some else's Honey. I don't want to cause anyone else the pain that Honey's death caused me.

I think I can do that.

**Ahiru Tout, District Nine **

All throughout the morning, I work on balance activities and marital arts. Being a dancer has given me grace and agility, and my mentor said that hand-to-hand combat would be perfect for me.

I go up against this one girl, Mei, who isn't very good. She frowns after I beat her in sparring.

"My brother was going to teach me," she says, "but he got busy."

"I'm sorry," I say. There isn't much else to say. I don't really feel bad, because now I have something I'm good at. I'm in this to win, you know? I promised my best friends, Pike and Lilliae, that we'd be best friends forever. I have to win this for them.

We were in dance class together since we were young, and always hung out together afterwards. They thought I was so cool there. At dance class, I felt like I fit in.

Together, we made up stories of what if the teachers were all animals, if I turned into a duck, those types of fairy tale things. It was so much fun. I miss my friends so much. The three of us could just talk and dance for hours. I can't wait until I see them again.

One thing's for sure: I'm lucky that I've got a talent that will help me in the Games. I might just have the agility of a Career if I try. I'm going to have to if I'm going to win.

My district partner doesn't talk to anyone, not even me. I heard he plays a mean violin. I don't think that he's going to make the best ally, though. He seems very depressive and depressing. I don't like depressing. I'm friendly and like friendly people. I don't sit with him at lunch.

For lunch I eat a small lunch, mostly vegetables and bread. A bit of meat. Lilliae has told me I eat like a bird. I think that's silly. I'm not really the biggest eater, that's all. Mei and her district partner, Sealand, are opposite. They walk up to my table with big plates of stir-fry and sit by me.

"That's the girl who could flip and kick and stuff like a pro," Mei says. "How'd you get so good?"

"I've been doing ballet for years," I explain, "You learn to become light on your feet."

"Nice," Mei says. She continues to eat her stir-fry.

"I like your hair," she says, a few minutes later.

"Thanks," I reply. It's pretty nice, it's true. My hair is long and red, but I generally wear it in a braid so it doesn't get in my face when I dance.

Sealand looks up to me. "It's so cool that you dance," he says. "Is it hard to learn?"

"Well, it takes years of practice to get to the level that I'm on, and I'm not even that good. But I could teach you some moves after…" I shut my mouth. I actually nearly said "After the Hunger Games." What is wrong with me?!

I feel so bad for almost saying that. I'm such a scatterbrain. I get back to the topic.

"I'll teach you a little after lunch, okay? Maybe we could go to the station where we learn to build fires and tie knots, too, okay?" I say.

Their faces light up.

"Thanks!" says Sealand. He and Mei continue to eat.

It's so sad that these young kids are looking for a little extra boost for the Hunger Games when it's obvious that they won't last too long. I don't want to hurt them at all. I decide that I'm going to help these kids learn as much as they can before the start of the Hunger Games.

Content, I clear my tray. I'm no longer hungry. Now, I have a mission.


	9. Worrywart

**Thuaine Laurinaitis, District Four**

My patience is wearing thin with this girl, and that's saying something. How in the name of Panem did Opal become a Career in the first place? During the train ride she was absolutely freaking out, pacing and shaking and who knows what.

Total freak. It looks like there's another weirdo, too, from District Three. I wonder how long either of them will last.

Should I ally with Opal? As…_odd_ as she is, she's excellent with swords. And knives. And daggers. Sharp things appear to be her forte. I'm great with a bow and arrow, even though I had several accidents when I first began.

If Opal could just keep calm, we _might_ be good allies. I mean, I'm a pretty big worrywart at times, but you don't see me panicking like her. It's most likely because I'm a little more prepared than her. I volunteered, she didn't.

It's not like I wasn't worried thought. On the train, I started to feel nervous, but I pushed that feeling away. Opal, on the other hand… well, she started to cry.

The other Careers seem to have sorted themselves out already. The Ones are sticking close together, and the boy from Two has joined their group. Hey, is that the girl from Three sitting with them? How come she's there? Does she have some sort of talent or something?

Maybe the boy from One likes her. That would explain it. I watch the Careers at that table. The girl, Addison, is bragging about how she was a juvenile delinquent and was the leader of a gang back at home. Gerome, the boy from One, is talking to the Three's, but mostly to the girl. There's only one of the Two's sitting there, and that's the boy. He is also quite talented in the sword department, which is why they like him.

* * *

I find Opal at lunch, muttering something. Sounds sort of like singing. I can't make out a single word. Is it even English? Instead of asking about what she was saying, though, I ask her about being allies.

"We're both Careers. Do you want to be allies?" I ask. She looks at me, not quite meeting my gaze.

"Okay," she says. "Are you sure? 'Cause I was talking to the Careers from One and asked them about the Career pack, and they were really…rude."

"What happened?" I ask.

"Addison, the girl… she called me a Lowlife." Opal looks like she might cry. Crap. What do I do?

"I'm sorry," I say. "Don't worry about it. She seems pretty insane. Look on the bright side; you'll get to kill her in the Hunger Games, right?"

"Right," she says, smiling. "And, I'd like to be allies with you. We could form our own Career pack. Maybe this girl from Twelve would like to join…" She stops.

"Hey," she says again. "Can I try some of your soup? It looks so weird,"

"Okay…" I say.

"Thanks!" She says, grabbing a spoon. She takes a giant spoonful and puts it in her mouth. She spits it out into her napkin not two seconds later.

"Gross!" she shouts. "How can you like this stuff?"

"It's a traditional soup we have at home. I wonder why the chefs made it." I say.

"Well, it looks weird and the Capitol likes weird looking food. Maybe that's why?"

"Maybe," I say with a grin.

Opal isn't too bad, after all. She and I will start our own pack, just like we planned. Let's hope we can do this before the Ones recruit the other Careers.

**Opal Fagin, District 4 **

Thuaine walks up to me just as I finish the prayer you say before you eat. I didn't want to draw much attention to myself, so I muttered under my breath. I hope it still counts.

We talk about becoming allies. I'm going to need some allies after that incident in the training Center.

* * *

Gerome seemed nice. He and I were chatting about Districts and stuff and then I asked about joining the Career Pack. His buddy Addison walked up to me and said:

"We don't want Lowlifes in our Pack. Is that clear?"

I was shocked. Even though I'm not the most popular person at school, nobody has ever talked to me like that.

"What did you call me?" I shrieked.

"I called you a Lowlife, Lowlife," Addison smirked. "Wouldn't last five minutes, would you? Look at you, a stupid, frizzy-haired baby who obviously has no guts. I saw the Reaping recaps, Lowlife. You were great. Shrieking and shaking your hands, the perfect ways to prove what a good Career you are."

For some reason, I was still standing there.

"I will kill you in the arena," I said.

"Not if I kill you first," Addison replied.

That final sentence left me in fear until lunch.

It is lunchtime now, and there's quite the selection of foods. I squealed with excitement when I saw everything. I spied a plate of shrimp scampi. It looked so good, and I've never been able to eat it back at home. Family rules and stuff. I can't eat pork or other seafood, either.

I'm breaking a big rule by eating this, but it's my only chance to get this kind of food. I may not come back….

Oh God. I may not come back. I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die! My breaths quicken, and I can feel my face grow hot. Somebody help me! I need somebody to tell me that everything will be alright. I need it so bad right now.

Nobody's going to comfort me in the arena, so why would they comfort me in the training Center? I'm going to die, nobody here cares about me, what am I going to do?

"Hey," says one girl. She was the one who I saw writing during a break. Her name's Reise, I think. "What's wrong?" she asks.

"Everything's wrong!" I exclaim. Holy crap, I am having a meltdown in the middle of lunch.

I cry and cry. Reise drags me out of the lunch room into the hallway. "Tell me what's wrong. Right. Now." She says.

Between sobs, I explain to Reise how scared I am and how I really don't want to die. I just can't. I have to come back so I can see my family again. I need to see my brother, Diamond, so he can still be a twin. I couldn't imagine him not being a twin anymore.

We don't get along the greatest. If I die, will Diamond miss me or will he be relieved that I'm gone? The two of us are always at each other's throats, but we know we love each other.

Reise listens to me, even my rambling about my brother.

"Please, don't think of me as a blubbering baby. I'm not usually like this. I'm strong. I'm a Career. I'm-"

"Don't worry," says Reise. "I saw you over by the swords earlier. I know you're good. I was almost afraid of you. _Almost._"

"Do you wanna be allies? I'm starting my own Career Pack, and I thought you might like to join." I say.

"Sure," she says. "Who else is gonna be in?"

"I'm gonna ask that girl from Two and your district partner, if you'd like. Does that seem okay?"

"It's fine by me," says Reise.

Good. I have a friend in the Hunger Games. My nervousness fades and I'm able to enjoy the rest of lunch in peace. And oh yeah, that shrimp scampi was delicious.


	10. Best Friends

_I send my thanks out to Number One Fan of Journey for catching my spelling mistakes. You are awesome. _

_I decided to try something new with adding in more dialog. I hope I didn't epically fail or anything. _

**Felix Lukas, District Seven**

"D'ya think I could take down a Career, Felix?" asks Lizzie. She's playing around with the spears on sticks.

"I think so," I reply. Lizzie and I are best friends, and were reaped completely by chance. Lizzie would've, at least. She's much braver than me. Neither of us is particularly good with weapons, but she's finding it easy to learn. As for me, I, like, totally suck.

I am not what you would call "manly." Lizzie and I frequently share clothes with each other, I love pony riding, and talk like a teenage girl. There isn't, like, anything wrong with that, is there? Lizzie doesn't think so.

Lizzie and I have been friends since we were little. We bonded over our love of ponies. That is where our similarities end. Lizzie and I go together like chalk and cheese. Lizzie is the manliest person I know, always getting into fights and scrapes for me.

She and I are like brother and sister. Depending on whom you ask, she's the brother and I'm the sister, seeing as she's so masculine and I'm…_not._ Seriously, people can be, like, totally rude! Ever since kids in our class started to say that, I counterattacked by calling Lizzie "Sissy." She tried to call me "bro" in return, but that never caught on.

"Sissy, what do ya say about an alliance?" I ask her. Lizzie quits throwing her spears at targets to talk to me.

"I'll only ally with you," she says.

"Is that really a smart idea?" I ask.

"Why?"

"Ummm…" I was going to have to bring it up sometime, but now I feel scared. "I'm not strong. I'm like, really weak. I can't win the Hunger Games, Sissy! You'll be, like, dragged down by me if we ally!" I had to get that off my chest.

Lizzie replies with, "It doesn't matter. We are best friends, Felix. I wouldn't leave you, ever. You know that. Whatever happens happens, and whoever's meant to win the Games will. It's scary, I know, but we can't control fate."

"I hate fate," I say.

"What if fate says you're going to win?" asks Lizzie.

"Then fate is a dirty liar! There's no way I'm going to win," I say.

I am generally optimistic, but I've started to take a more realist approach on life since being reaped. Lizzie hasn't heard this kind of speak from me before, which is surprising because she herself is a realist.

"Lizzie…what happens if one of us does win?" I ask.

"Then we'll win." She answers simply.

"But one of us will be dead," I say.

"If you die, I'll never forget you," Lizzie says.

"Same here," I say. "Sissy, you are the best friend I've ever had."

"You, too," she says.

"Allies it is, then?" I ask.

"Allies it is," says Lizzie, going back to her spears.

**Lizzie Hedervary, District Seven **

As scary as the Hunger Games are, at least I now have an ally. Felix and I will always be friends, no matter what. I'm not letting the Hunger Games get in the way of our friendship.

I'm not sure if I actually believe in my saying "whatever happens, happens." There's so much I want to do with my life, like become a singer. I really don't want all of my potential to go to waste.

Everyone's potential is going to go to waste. Everyone is going to die, except for one person. It absolutely sucks, but that's just the nature of the Hunger Games.

* * *

Felix and I are generally inseparable. I wouldn't want to live without him, and neither would he for me. Maybe practicing with all these spears is in vain. If Felix got killed, I wouldn't want to live anymore.

Right now, I have made my decision: I am not going to try to win. If I can't live without Felix, I'd rather not live at all.

So screw "Whatever happens happens!"

"Felix," I say.

"What?"

"Neither of us is going to win the Hunger Games," I say.

"Didn't we, like, already go over this?"

"Yeah, but this is different,"

"And?"

"We're both going to die!"

"I know that,"

"I know you know,"

"So then why are we, like, still talking about it?"

"I don't want to see you get killed, that's all."

"I'd totally cry if I saw you get killed."

I get an idea. "We'll commit suicide," I say.

"What?" Felix says.

"Suicide," I repeat.

"No!" Felix shouts.

"If we're going to die, I don't want us to get killed by someone else."

"Well, I'm not going to!"

"Why not? I thought you said yourself that you were too weak to win."

"I just changed my mind, in case you didn't notice."

"You can't 'just change your mind' like that, Felix! This is the fricking Hunger Games!"

"I changed my mind, okay? I'm going to try to win this, _okay_?" his voice gets more and more elevated.

"I thought of this so we wouldn't have to cry over each other's loss. I don't want either of us to be in pain if we lose one another."

"I don't want to die." Felix says. "I am not going to do this."

"I thought we were friends!" I yell. "Friends are supposed to stick together! You said it yourself that you'd ally with me! And being allies' means you stick together."

"I am not going to kill myself for you." Felix says finally. "I think I'm going to leave now. Goodbye, Sissy," He walks away to another station.

"Our alliance is _off!_" I shout.

And so is our friendship, too.


	11. Backstage

_Thank you to sharkbait95 for reviewing! To everyone who's been reading, don't worry; I'll get to the killings very, very soon. Just a few more chapters to go. I hope that this chapter makes sense. I find that Japan is hard to write for._

_Enjoy…_

**Kiku Nihon, District Two**

The Capitol has good reason not to record the antics that go on backstage of the interviews. It's absolute chaos.

Opal is crying because the stylists straightened her hair, Romano is comforting Talia who's nervous, Lizzie and Felix aren't even speaking to each other. When they first got here, I was sure they were best friends, but now they seem to hate each other. One of their stylists puts them next to each other and then they end up in a screaming match. Then they have to be dragged away from each other.

My angle shall be 'Silent but Deadly,' I believe. It is pretty close to the truth. I don't generally say too much and I usually keep my opinions to myself. It's more polite that way.

My partner Katya walks up to me. Our outfits do not go together, which is for the best. We aren't in an alliance with each other, so we probably won't cross paths in the arena. It's not that we hate each other; I just don't know her all that well. Even though I've seen her in the Career Training Facility before, we rarely talked.

Katya talks to me now. "You're sure you don't mind me allying with the Fours and the Twelves?" she asks.

"Yes," I respond. In all actuality, I feel that the alliance with the Ones and Threes would be stronger with Katya in it, but it's rude to disagree. Gerome and Addis seem to dislike her after she associated with Opal. I suppose it's for the better for me to agree with them. Who knows what they'll do to me if I speak my mind?

"Thanks," she says. "I kind of hope that I don't have to kill you, then, 'cause we're going to be enemies in the arena,"

"If I have to kill you, I'll make it quick." I say.

"Thanks," Katya says again. "I guess I'll do the same."

* * *

Backstage is still crazy. Addis and Gerome are loudly discussing their plans for who they want to kill first. I join them. The Hunger Games are going to be pretty exciting, especially after we weed out the weaklings.

I'd like to think that I'm quite different from Addis and Gerome. I didn't become a Career out of bloodlust; I became a Career out of honor. My parents are Careers, but they never got the chance to compete. I want to bring honor to my family.

I have to win. I don't care if that means stabbing my allies in the back, I just need to win. No matter what it takes, I'm going to win.

* * *

It looks like it's almost interview time. Addis, Gerome, The Threes and I agree that we're going to set up camp at the Cornucopia when the Games start. Then, it's time for the interviews to begin.

**Katya Krane, District Two**

Kiku and I aren't allies, but we can both agree on one thing: backstage is, indeed, chaotic. In addition to the Sevens screaming match and Opal's hair fiasco, there's this one girl from Five complaining about how I get to wear a pantsuit and not her. It seems to be bothering her a whole heck of a lot.

I'm glad I'm not in a dress. I usually just wear overalls when I'm at home, nothing fancy. A pantsuit is far more comfortable.

The Five says she's going to scream, and that the stylists just don't understand.

Oh, come on. It's just a dress. Get over it. I don't like dresses either. I just got a nice stylist.

* * *

I go to my allies while I wait for my interview. Opal and Thuaine are the leaders of our Career Pack. Canada and Reise, from Twelve, are part of the Pack as well.

This has never happened before. The Twos and Twelves haven't allied in any of the other Games. At least, not in the ones I've seen.

Usually, Games from the past ten years are broadcasted on television. If you're lucky, you can watch the Quarter Quell. I had watched a marathon of previous Games to get excited about this year's Hunger Games, because this is the year that I finally volunteered. The Games I saw were really cool, and I got lucky and saw the Thirteenth Annual Hunger Games, which you don't see every day.

* * *

"Katya?" asks Canada.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I kind of drifted off for a moment," I say. "What were we talking about?"

"I was asking you what your best weapon was,"

"I can work with just about any weapon," I say. I can. I've been working with all the weapons I've been able to get my hands on. It's a necessity to be able to work with more than one weapon. Many Careers are good with only one weapon, but if they don't have that one weapon, they've got nothing. I'm good with any weapon.

"Lucky," says Opal.

"Oh, c'mon, don't sell yourself short," Reise tells her, "You're a sword master, remember?"

"Oh, right," she says, smacking her forehead lightly. "Duh,"

"Okay," I say, changing the subject, "Who's excited about the Hunger Games?"

The Pack cheers.

"I can't hear you!" I say.

They cheer again.

"Shut up!" Gerome calls from the other side of the room. "It's time for my interview,"

"We're going to be awesome," I say.

"You got that right!" says Reise. "I'm so excited. We'll just have to get through the interviews and then the Games will begin!"

We cheer again, despite Gerome's warning. Opal jumps up and down, and for the first time I realize how short she is. She doesn't quite reach five feet.

I guess I'm average in height. My face is pretty ordinary, too. My hair is dusty blond and I'm not really bothered to do much with it. As for my figure…I'm sort of insecure about it. Boys in my class make fun of me for being so…big on top. In general, I wear overalls and t-shirts to cover up my body. I like to fly under the radar.

My stylists were kind enough to listen to my insecurities, and let me wear a pantsuit instead of the dress they had originally designed. It's silvery-gray with streaks of blue on the side. Not bad. I certainly feel much better in it than if I were in that dress.

I compliment my Pack on their outfits and they do the same. Then we chat about our plans for the Games until it's time for my interview.


	12. My Angle

_Author's Note: This chapter was very interesting to write. You'll find out why shortly._

_Thank you to those who've been reading and reviewing, you always make me smile and brighten up my day. _

**Poppy Alexander, District Five**

Get.

Me.

Out.

Of.

This.

Dress.

GET-ME-OUT-OF-THIS-DRESS!

I am going to scream at someone. My stylists-those _freaking_ stylists-don't listen to anyone, let alone the tribute they're working with.

This was a mix up. I swear it was. My name was put into the wrong bowl. If my name weren't put in the wrong bowl, I wouldn't have been reaped. The mayor never listens to anyone, either.

It looks like nobody wants to face the fact that I'm transgendered. My parents basically ignore the fact that I'm a boy and continue to call me by my given name, Poppy. I much prefer the name Aubrey.

And now I'm about to be interviewed for the annual Hunger Games, and I'm wearing a fricking dress.

* * *

Interview time. I don't have much of an angle, but it'd not like I'll need one. The real me is pretty interesting enough.

The host-I'm forgetting his name-asks me all the usual questions: If I'm excited about the Games, if I can use a weapon, etc. Then he asks if I've got anything interesting on my mind.

"Yes," I answer. "I've got something very interesting on my mind, in fact."

"Care to share?" Host-Guy asks.

"Well, you might be kind of shocked to hear this." I say.

"I'm used to shocking things," Host Guy responds. "I host the Hunger Games, right?"

"This might be pretty groundbreaking," I say. "This year, District Five is sending two boys into the arena."

"What." That's all Host Guy says.

"What?" I counter.

"But you're a-"

"I am a boy,"

"Your name is Poppy Alexander, the _female_ tribute from District Five." Host Guy says.

"I identify as male," I say. "Please, can we get on with the next question?" I feel sick. I think I'm going to throw up. I rush through the rest of the questions so I get the hell off the stage, and out of the public eye.

**Ned Hollander, District Five**

Poppy-I mean Aubrey-throws up right after his interview.

"Man, are you okay?" I ask.

"I've been better, but I've also been worse." Aubrey responds. "I'm fine now."

"Okay." I say.

* * *

My angle is going to be the serious, strategy-driven tribute. I'm not sure what Aubrey's is. By the looks of it, the Careers from One have a "Tough and Scary" thing going on. Kiku from Two is all stealthy and Katya is tomboyish, very different from each other. Romano is a protective older brother who cares deeply for his autistic sister. Talia is the sister, who cares about her older brother.

Opal and Thuaine have very bold personas, or at least try to. Opal got overwhelmed by the bright lights before her interview started, and Thuaine seemed to have a nervous air around him.

Tasha and Russo are stepsiblings and good friends.

Felix and Lizzie were originally going to do the 'best friends' act, but they got into a fight, so I don't know what their angles are.

Sealand and Mei are these sweet, adorable kids who are aware they're going to die, and Mei says "I just want it to be quick." That gets some cries from the audience.

Rod is this introvert who just wants to win, and Ahiru is a sweet ballerina.

Tino is going for a nice-guy angle, and Susan is going to be the "possessive girlfriend" type. Tino told me that they weren't even going out.

Chelsea is the big hearted Country girl, and Traz is the guy who doesn't give a crap about anything.

Canada is the boy who nobody noticed at home and Reise is the friendly psychopath.

Wow. We are quite the interesting group. We're probably the weirdest group of tributes there ever was.

* * *

It's time for my interview. I'm all "dolled up," as the stylists said. My suit has neon lights decorating it, since my District is in the Power industry.

The host asks me questions, and I give the simplest answers possible. I don't want to get humiliated like Aubrey. The host has gone out of his way to embarrass all of the tributes tonight.

He asked Talia what was wrong with her. She just looked at him like a deer that was about to be eaten. He later asked Romano what was wrong with his sister. Romano cursed him out. He asked Opal why she cries so much, especially since she's a Career. She stuttered and started to breathe really fast. After calming herself down, she said "…I don't know…" and left it as that. After her interview, she was sobbing.

I don't want any of that to happen to me.

* * *

The host asks me if I've got anything interesting on my mind, like if I happen to think I'm a girl.

The crowd laughs. He's crossed the line.

"You're pathetic," I say. "We're all about to go into an arena to get ourselves killed and then you have the _nerve_ to ask us these stupid questions that make us feel like crap. You are a worthless excuse of a man, do you hear? I'm _through_ with this interview."

I walk off the stage without a care in the world.


	13. Allonsy

_Obiwanlivesforever, I thank you so much for reviewing. My jaw dropped when I saw the number of reviews._

_For those who don't quite know who's who, here's a list of everyone._

_Gerome Manning (Germany), Addison Hale (OC, sorta)- District One_

_Kiku Nihon (Japan), Katya Krane (Ukraine)-District Two_

_Romano Venez (South Italy), Talia Venez (Fem!North Italy)-District Three_

_Opal Fagin (OC), Thuaine Laurinaitis (Lithuania) - District Four_

_Ned Hollander (Netherlands), Poppy Alexander (OC)-District Five_

_Russo Ginski (Russia), Tasha Ginski (Belarus)-District Six_

_Felix Lukas (Poland), Lizzie Hedervary (Hungary)- District Seven_

_Sealand Peters (Sealand) Mei Tai (Taiwan)-District Eight_

_Rod Austro (Austria), Ahiru Tout (Duck from Princess Tutu. Why not?)-District Nine_

_Tino Finn (Finland), Susan Berwald (Fem!Sweden) -District Ten_

_Traz Arbanasch (OC), Chelsea Sey (Seychelles)-District Eleven_

_Canada Williams (Canada), Reise Cray (OC)-District Twelve_

_Also, if Addison says something offensive that is because she's …well, you know. Don't worry, I hate her, too._

_And now, ladies and gents, the moment we've all been waiting for. The Forty-ninth Hunger Games. LET THE GAMES BEGIN! _

_This is going to be epic._

* * *

**Ahiru Tout, District Nine**

It's the day. The Hunger Games begin after breakfast. I eat some fruit and cereal. The arena outfit that I wear is very practical: dark green shirt, brown cargo pants, brown jacket and gray sneakers. My hair is braided again; don't want to get it in my face while I'm fighting.

This is it, isn't it? The beginning of the end. I'm going to try my hardest in the arena, but can I win? I don't know. I'm so scared right now.

I'm going to give it my all. I'll kill when necessary, even.

Even if I can't win, I at least want all of Panem to know I tried. It'd time for the Games to begin. The glass tube takes me upward, releasing me into the arena.

**Addison Hale, District One**

Why the hell did Gerome let Talia into the alliance, anyway? An idiot like her tying us down? This is not going to end well. Look, I know he likes her, but the Hunger Games is not about relationships. It's about killing. Oh yes, killing. This is gonna be so much fun.

Who to weed out first? That gibberish-muttering thing from Four can go. Twelves are just plain pointless, so they can go, too. That stepsibling duo is just plain creepy, and I feel like they're gonna be competition, so I'll try to get rid of them as soon as possible.

I smile as the glass tube lifts me into the arena. This is gonna be very fun.

**Opal Fagin, District Four**

On the plate, sing the prayer you say before you go to sleep-and the one before you die. What if I don't have enough time to say it if I'm killed? I hope it counts now.

Deep breaths, Opal. Breathe in and out. Don't get into a screaming fit now. If you move, you could get launched off your plate and killed immediately.

There's no need for me to panic. My Pack has a plan. I'll get the food, Thuaine will get the weapons, and Katya will find other nonperishables like medical

supplies.

Canada and Reise will find a place to set up camp.

Okay. Things are going to be all right. Don't worry.

**Traz Arbanasch, District Eleven**

Taking on a Career will be so easy. I mean, my muscles are Career-like as it is, so beating one will be simple.

It's not like I find the Hunger Games fun, they're so stupid. I just want to kill off a Career to prove I can.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Forty-Ninth Hunger Games Begin!" shouts an announcer.

We're off. I head straight for the short Career from Four, she'll be an easy kill. She was the one who had a meltdown at lunch, right? I would've expected Talia to do that, but a Career… well, she's gonna go down easily.

I throw a punch. I don't realize she has a sword in hand until it's too late.

"Get away from me!" she shrieks, and cuts off my arm. Oh my god. Did that girl actually do that? I'm bleeding so hard. This pain is unimaginable. I howl in pain and then she jabs me in the stomach.

I crumple to the ground in pain. "G-get away from me," she says, voice wobbling. "Leave me alone!"

As everything fades to black, my last thought is how awesome it was to have a Career be afraid of me.

**Susan Berwald, District Ten**

The gong rings and I run. Tino, Tino, I need to find Tino. Where is he? The arena is a ghost town, with abandoned buildings and rubble all around us. Everything is an orange-y brown. The wind blows, sending some dirt into the air and lightly dusts our clothing. The houses are ramshackle and boarded up.

My first thought is to find Tino. We need to make an alliance.

Where is he? I could have sworn I just saw him. I need to find him and make sure he's safe.

Did he get killed already? No. That can't happen. Tino can't die! I won't let him!

I run frantically in search of him. I spot him. He's running away from a blonde Career. The Career throws knives his way. One is going to hit him. No no no no-

"No!" I shriek, and shield him. The knife hits me in the shoulder. It hurts like crazy, but it doesn't matter. I'm saving Tino. Another knife goes soaring and then hits me square in the chest.

I scream in pain for one last time, but I'm relieved. _I saved Tino_, I think as everything around me fades out.


	14. Time to Go

_Yes, there is more to the bloodbath! Welcome to the second part. I hope you enjoy all of this delightfully senseless violence. I sure am._

_I am having so much fun! _

* * *

**Ahiru Tout, District Nine**

The gong rings and I run for the Cornucopia. I need food. Hunting isn't something I'm good at, and I'm going to need the energy as the Games go on. And maybe some gauze if I get cut or something. I saw some gauze not far away-where is it? I grab a box of granola bars to the left of me and then search for gauze. I bend down to pick it up. Someone else's hand does the same.

It's Katya.

She punches me in the face, again and again and again. I scream. My eyesight isn't functioning right. I see stars. What do I do?

I struggle to get up. What was I looking for again? What was I doing? I'm so confused. My face throbs. I only begin to understand what's happening when I get smacked in the head with a sharp rock.

I feel an incredible burst of pain for one last time and then my senses dull; the world around me goes black.

**Chelsea Sey, District Eleven**

When the gong rings, I don't head for the Cornucopia at all. It's far too dangerous over there. Instead, I go to into the town and then find a loose brick lying near the side of a building. I take the brick. It could make a fine weapon.

So. This is the Hunger Games, huh? The Hunger Games are much less scary than I thought.

Hiding inside this building might be a good idea. There's so much fighting in the bloodbath, I'm sure nobody will notice that I've slipped away to hide.

Just in case, I go 'round back and bust open a boarded up window, so nobody can see me get into the house. Inside, I examine my surroundings. The interior is made of wood, with a carpet made of an animal skin. A bear skin, I think. A sagging couch sits in a corner; some stuffing is missing from it. A small table is in front of the couch, just close enough for you to sit down and kick your feet onto.

I check out the kitchen. Pots and pans are present, but not a bite of food is in sight. I'll figure out what to do about that later.

Much later. For now, I'm going to just stay in here and hide.

And I will be safe.

**Poppy**** Aubrey Alexander, District Five**

I've got a weapon from the Cornucopia. A knife. This will serve as a helpful tool to me as I'm not great at fist fighting. I run about twenty feet before I'm stopped by a Career.

"Hi Poppy," she says with a smirk.

"Aubrey," I say through gritted teeth, "I go by Aubrey,"

She rolls her eyes. "Freak." She says. "It's going to be fun to get you out of the way,"

I strike first. She dodges. I strike again. She dodges again, and then cuts my arm. I move back before she can cut any deeper.

"Gerome! Over here!" she calls. Gerome runs over to her. She gives him a glare and he nods in return.

What. What's going on? I start to run, but Gerome catches up to me. He plucks my knife from my hand and throws it to the ground. He grabs me from behind and begins to choke me. Addison laughs like a madman.

I try to scream but I can't breathe.

I can't breathe.

I can't breathe.

I can't breathe…

It almost comes as a relief when Gerome snaps my neck.

**Sealand Peters, District Eight**

Mei and I hold hands as we run together. We don't know where we're going; we just need to get away from this bloodbath. I am so scared. Our mentor didn't give us any advice on winning. Did she not want us to win? Why's that?

I'm more than scared right now. Mei is too. We stay silent while running. We run.

I guide the way. We arrive to a Town Square. An abandoned department store stands in front of us.

"We can hide in here!" I say.

"Okay," Mei says.

"There's a problem with that," says a voice. I turn around. It's Kiku from Two. "We are going to set up camp here."

Oh no!

"We have to get out of here!" Mei shouts. I agree. This is bad, bad, bad.

Kiku raises his sword. We scream.

It has been made official: we are going to die.

**Mei Tai, District Eight**

I am still holding Sealand's hand. I grip it tightly now. This is the scariest thing to ever happen in my life.

It's no use running now that Kiku has us cornered.

"You're so little," Kiku says. "I'll make it quick,"

Sealand and I scream even louder. We are frozen in fear. I don't know what to do. I really want to live. I want Sealand to live. Why do the Games have to exist? Why?

We are going to die, and we are holding hands.

Kiku comes closer to us, and we are still holding hands.

Kiku's sword cuts into Sealand's neck and we are still holding hands. I am his ally. I promised I'd be his ally till death.

When Sealand's cannon fires, I still hold his hand. I am his ally.

Sealand's body is taken away in a hovercraft. I finally let go of his hand. I am alone now.

Except for Kiku. He is going to kill me. I can't die now. Sealand is dead. I need to win for him.

I stomp on Kiku's foot and then kick him in the shin. He is focused on the pain in his leg for only a second, but that second is enough for me to make my escape.

I've gotta get outta here!

I run as fast as my legs can carry me.

I run nearly half a mile when I make the fatal mistake to stop for breath. I can't run as fast now that I'm aware of how little breath I have.

Kiku has caught up to me now. I pant, trying to take in as much breath as I can. I am so out of breath. There's no use putting up a fight with Kiku, we both know he's going to kill me.

"I'll make it quick," he says again.

I nod sadly and close my eyes. I keep them closed when his sword collides with my neck.


	15. Setting up Camp

_I have been having a little bit of writer's block. Please be patient if I can't do my daily updates. Daily updates, huh? I feel like the guy who does Homestuck._

_Review please? Reviews make me very, very happy._

* * *

**Talia Venez, District Three**

Romano grabs my hand just after the gong rings. We are going to be part of the Career Pack. One of the Career Packs, actually. There are two Career packs, which is confusing since usually there's just one. After we join the others, we set up camp in an abandoned department store.

"Why are there two Career packs this year?" I ask Gerome. He looks at my face. I look down.

"The other Careers were associating with Opal, and Addis didn't like it," he says.

"Why didn't Addison like that?" I ask.

"She doesn't like Opal."

"Why?" I ask.

"Opal, she's…" he says. He doesn't finish.

"Why aren't you finishing your sentence?" I ask.

"Addison just didn't want her to join, okay?" Gerome finishes.

"No! That is _not_ okay! Tell me why!" I demand.

"Later," Gerome says.

"TELL ME NOW!"

Kiku walks into the room. "Talia, why don't you prepare some food for us? I heard that you're a good cook."

"Not until Gerome tells me why there are two Career packs," I say.

"It's a little hard to explain," Kiku says.

"Why?"

"Let's make a deal. If you make us all something good for lunch, I'll tell you about the Career packs and everything. Is that a deal?"

"Okay, deal!" I say.

He hands me some of the food from the Cornucopia. "Now get to work,"

**Felix Lukas, District Seven**

I am, like, so scared. Like, what the heck was I thinking when I said I was going to win? I just didn't want to kill myself for my friend. I love being alive! I do not love life right now, though. I want my Sissy. I miss her so much. I'm sure she hates me now.

I would love it if we ran into each other in the arena.

I'd hate it if we ran into each other in the arena.

I'd be totally freaked out if we ran into each other in the arena. Lizzie had an eight in training and was enraged with me when I last saw her. Who knows what she'll do if our paths crossed?

I am scared of my best friend. This totally sucks.

**Reise Cray, District Twelve**

The Pack has set up camp in some old apartment building. There's beds and everything, albeit everything being old and rundown. It's still better than the houses in District Twelve, and that's saying something.

Opal really proved herself to the Pack. Her swordsmanship is impressive. Katya got Ahiru with just a few punches and a rock. Thuaine is the only Career of the Pack that hasn't gotten a chance to kill anyone yet.

"How 'bout we get settled into our camp?" says Opal. We agree.

We check out our supplies. Thuaine was able to snag some before the other pack got to it first. Katya grabbed some gauze and some cough medicine, and a small medical kit. We'll be able to live off of the food for a while, and if nobody gets seriously injured, the medical kit will be fine.

_We'll all have to get seriously injured if one of us is going to win,_ I realize. The thought of my allies dying creeps me out, so I don't think about it. We are a pack. Packs stay together.

Speaking of the pack, "We need a name for our pack," I say.

"Huh?" says Thuaine.

"Our pack. It needs a name. We don't want to get mixed up with the _other_ pack now do we?"

I rummage through our supplies till I find the weapons. I hold up a knife. "The Knives? Nah,"

I try again. "How about the Swords?"

Opal stifles a laugh. "For someone who writes in her free time, you are being very unoriginal with names right now."

I sigh and try once more, holding up another weapon. "Morningstar?"

Katya nods. "That is perfect!"

"Okay," I say, "From this moment forth, we will be known as the Morningstars,"

**Rod Austro, District Nine**

The backpack I snagged at the Cornucopia is quite light, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing. Perhaps I thought it would be heavier? At this moment, its lightness is useful while I run. I have decided that I shall hide in a place where I can access clean water.

I have successfully escaped from the bloodbath. It was a horrible sight to see. I'm aware that I saw my district partner get killed and I didn't do anything to help her. We hadn't talked at all during training or any other time before; her death doesn't concern me.

I can't risk caring about someone again. I'll only see them die. This is the Hunger Games; you'll kill or get killed. Even if I made an alliance with Ahiru, she would have still died and I would have felt responsible. It is much safer to not care about anyone.

Even though it is safer, I long to care about someone again. I wish to love and be loved by a significant other. Nobody can ever replace Honey for me. Even though our forever was short, I wouldn't take it back for the world.

* * *

As I examine my surroundings, I catch a glimpse of a girl coming my way. She doesn't look dangerous. Her light brown hair is all over the place, the flower decorating her hair has gone askew. Her district token, I presume. She bears a strong resemblance to Honey. Would it be that the gamemakers put her in the Games just to mess with me? They've done similar things before.

If their plan was to mess with me, it's working. I need to get away from her. I can't bear to look at this girl; she looks like Honey in almost every aspect. It's quite eerie. Before the girl can notice my presence, I quietly slip away into a barn. There's a well out back, and I'm almost positive that it has running water. I only have two plans for the Games so far: I won't make alliances and that the barn is going to be my hideout.


	16. Accusation

_This chapter has some sensitive material. You have been warned._

_Slowly by slowly, some of the characters will slip into insanity. You have been warned again._

_Read and review! _

**Tino Finn, District Ten**

I can't stop thinking about Susan. I didn't love her. I was seriously afraid of her. She loved me and gave her life to save me. Now she's dead because of me.

I caused her death.

I'm responsible.

If I hadn't been reaped, she would still be alive.

Lost in thought, I stumble into a ditch. _Snap out of it! _I think as I pull myself up. Susan wanted me to live so much she chose to shield me, even if it meant her own death. She brought it upon herself. I need to stop obsessing. She wanted me to live, and I'm still alive. I want to win the Hunger Games.

_Thank you, Susan,_ I think as I keep walking.

**Romano Venez, District Three**

I don't trust my allies. Sure, Gerome just thought it would be _nice_ for Talia and me to be in his Career pack. He wants something from us, I'm sure of it. He's been looking at Talia all through lunch. It's creepy. I don't know why I agreed to join these guys. Talia has been hanging around Gerome almost nonstop, and I'm not sure if I like it. There has to be more of a reason for Gerome to ally with us.

I'll keep a close watch on Gerome to make sure he isn't going to mess with my sister. I need her to be safe. I don't want her to get hurt. If she was hurt … I'd never forgive myself.

"Talia," I tell her, "I don't want you to get too close to Gerome or the other Careers, okay?"

"Why can't I stand too close to them? Are they claustrophobic?" Talia asks. She doesn't get metaphors.

"I mean, I don't want you to be too fond of Gerome. I think he might hurt you." I say.

"Why?" Talia asks.

"Some people just aren't good," I say.

"Is Gerome bad?"

"I think he is, Tal. I think he is,"

Talia generally just agrees with me and then drops the subject. This time, she surprises me. "Romano… I like Gerome. I don't think he's bad,"

"He killed someone!" I almost shout.

"He has a mean friend," says Talia. "He wouldn't have done it if it weren't for her."

"He's a coward then!" I say.

"You are, too!" Talia shouts.

"I volunteered in the Hunger Games for you, Talia! Did Gerome do that?"

"He doesn't live in our District, Romano!" Talia cries. I sigh. I just can't make her see from my perspective. She will never learn.

"I like Gerome, Romano." She says. This basically means _"I like him and nothing you say will stop me from liking him."_ As much as I want to keep her safe, it's just so hard.

**Gerome Manning, District One**

Talia is very interesting to talk to. You never know exactly what's going to happen next. When she asked me about the two Career packs, though, it was kind of hard. It's really difficult to describe Addis' motives to anyone.

Addison really dislikes Talia. "Tell me why you let that retard ally with us,"

"She isn't retarded," I say, "She's autistic. And I like her, okay? She's nice," _Much nicer than you,_ I add silently.

"Do you really think I _care_ what her diagnosis is? All I know is that she's a freak and a sub-"

"Shut up about my sister!" Romano shouts. He walks up to me and Addis.

"Look, I don't know what you want from her, but all I know is that I'm not going to let either of you hurt Talia. Do you hear that, Gerome? Just because she's autistic doesn't mean you can take advantage of her!"

I feel like I've been slapped in the face. "I-I would never do that," my voice falters. "Why would you jump to that conclusion?"

Romano goes quiet. "I'm sorry." He says simply. "I just-"

"You seriously thought that I wanted to use your sister, didn't you?" I ask. "What put that idea into your head?"

"It's happened before," is all Romano says.

Oh.

I don't think I want him to elaborate.

This time I'm the one to say "I'm sorry."

Addison has since stopped paying attention to the argument and is talking to Kiku about killing some more tributes.

"I'm gonna go join the others," I say. Romano doesn't say anything.

Just as I start to walk away, Romano says, "Be good to Talia. I know you like her a lot. She likes you, too. Don't try to push her to do things she doesn't want to. And if you do, I swear I'll kill you. Clear?"

"Clear," I reply.

**Lizzie Hedervary, District Seven**

Felix! That Felix! Words can't describe how angry I am at him. He is no longer a friend of mine.

* * *

Wait… if he's not my friend anymore, I have no _need_ for suicide! Since I won't miss anyone, I won't have to mourn. Maybe this situation isn't that bad after all. All I have to do now is kill and survive.

_Kill_. That word feels odd in my mouth. I never thought of myself as a killer. The thought scares me, but not enough to actually make an effect on me. Sure it's scary, but every victor has had to kill. I want to be a victor.

I feel like a hypocrite. First I tell Felix he can't just change his mind like that, and here I am, changing my mind like that. But I have good reason. He didn't, so there.

He is such a stupid jerk. Why was I even friends with him? And how the heck can one guy be so fricking _girly_?

Somehow, the trash talk I repeat to myself about Felix loops in my mind. I actually begin to believe these lies about him. I want to. He really_ was_ a jerk to me, and I want every reason there is to hate him.

To kill him. There comes that awful word again. If I'm going to win, I'm going to need to kill Felix, if he's still alive.

What an awful place. In the Hunger Games, you actually need to _hope_ your district partner is dead so you won't have to kill him.

I-I don't care! I really don't! We aren't friends anymore. What's done is done. If I have to kill Felix, I will, and I won't hold back.

I really _don't_ care!


	17. Food for Thought

**Tasha Ginski, District Six**

The house is very crumbly, like it's going to fall apart any second. Russo and I have been hiding in here, thinking about what we're going to do. We need weapons. Neither of us managed to obtain one at the Cornucopia, it was far too dangerous.

Wind blows outside and the house shakes. I worry that the house will fall in on top of us.

"We need to get out of here," I tell Russo.

"We need weapons," Russo says. "I'm sure we'll be able to find some in here."

"But the house might collapse on us!" I say.

"Weapons, Tasha. We need weapons to defend ourselves."

I don't object. I eventually find an old knife, rusting a bit at the edges. That'll do. Russo picks up a discarded water pipe from a broken sink. He smiles and swings it around for good measure.

"Watch it!" I shout, "You could take someone's head off."

"Isn't that what I want?" he asks.

Oh, yeah.

We leave after we find our weapons. Just as I suspected, the house caves in. Thank goodness we weren't in there.

"See?" I say as I point it out to Russo.

"We weren't inside it, were we?" Russo replies.

We walk around, trying to find a new place to set up camp.

* * *

Food seems to be our main goal now. I'm very hungry. Russo's always hungry, so maybe I could give up some of my food for him? It's the nice thing to do. I love him so much. I'd prefer to be hungry than to know that my lovely stepbrother isn't getting enough food.

The Careers have gotten to all food already, which means we'll need to hunt. Will my knife be good for that? I hope it will.

Russo didn't spend much time in the hunting station and neither did I. I just wanted to be with him so much, that I let my survival potential slip. I regret this now. How the heck will we get food?

"I can't hunt," I say.

"I can't hunt, either," Russo replies.

"How are we going to get food?" I ask.

"Sponsors," Russo says. "We're going to need sponsors."

"Doesn't that mean we'll have to kill?"

"Yes," Russo says firmly.

"Who?" I ask.

"Someone," Russo says.

"I hate the Hunger Games," I say.

"I hate them too, but we're stuck here. Killing is a necessary part of our lives now. If we want donations, we'll need to kill someone."

I must look absolutely petrified, because Russo goes on to say, "You know I wouldn't kill in normal circumstances, don't you?"

"Yes," I say, not completely sure. I really want to believe that. He's always had an air of danger around him, which is one of the reasons I'm attracted to him so much. Could that 'air of danger' actually be psychosis? I really hope not.

"We'll need to kill someone soon, 'cause I'm getting hungry," I say. I giggle. "Oh, God, I bet someone's editing what I just said to make it sound like I'm cannibalistic."

Russo laughs. "I bet you're right, Tash. I bet you're right."

All we need to do is find a tribute to kill and donations will come pouring in. I'm sure of it.

We continue our walk in silence, in case someone comes our way.

**Kiku Nihon, District Two**

The Pack sets out to look for more kills. Addis is ecstatic. I'm excited, too, but not to the same extent. She's out for blood, while I just kill as fast as possible. Gerome says that was his plan, too, before Addison made him strangle that guy earlier. I don't really like Addison, she scares me. Of course, I'm much too proud to admit that and run away. Even though I don't like her, if I disagree, she'll kill me. And I want to win.

Agreeing with Addis will extend all of our lives, which is the main reason why we all do. I'd love it if the Pack just ran off and left her behind, but she would come back and brutally murder us all. She made that clear at the beginning.

"I'm the Leader, okay? And if you disagree with me, you're dead. Got it?" She said. Now, I don't agree out of politeness, but out of fear.

Addison's the one in charge of most of the weapons. She made the rule of "I'm the Leader and I get all the weapons I want." She's good with her weapons, too. At least I'm good at swords. I intend on killing Addis as soon as I get the chance.

When would she be the most vulnerable? When she's asleep? She said she'd take the first night patrol, so that's out. Would she kill us in our sleep? It's the first night; she probably wouldn't want to kill us before we lost our usefulness. I guess I can't kill her that fast, either. She may be insane, but she's being a good leader.

Right?

**Ned Hollander, District Five**

I feel really awful now that Aubrey's dead. He and I could've been allies. I don't know what to do now. Dinner would be nice. I had small a bag of jerky for lunch, and I ate it very quickly. I regret doing that now.

I'm screwed, aren't I? No food, no ally, and the fact that I'm being totally careless to top it all off. I get edgy when I'm hungry, okay? I need food!

I walk by several crumbing houses. A few of them have trees surrounding them. There is a good chance that there's fruit on one of those trees. I'll go check it out.

The tree closest to me has apples growing from it. They're rather high up, but I can climb it. I start up the tree. There aren't any branches on the lower half, so I have to grip the tree trunk extra hard. Using all of my upper body strength, I hoist myself up the tree and onto a branch. I'm almost there.

I can see the apples from here. Yes! I just need to catch my breath. Tree climbing is tiring.

After a moment, I reach for the next branch. I put all of my weight on it, not knowing just how brittle it is. The branch-

SNAPS

-And I

Tumble to the ground.

Pain. I am in so much pain. My head hurts badly, and so does my arm. Ugh. My head keeps spinning. I'll just lie down on the ground until I feel better.

* * *

I hear voices. Laughter.

"Found one!" screams a girl. The voices sound awfully close. I make the mistake to look up. It's Addison. She looks at me with a psychotic grin. She holds up a knife. The two boys surrounding her have weapons, too, but I can't quite make them out with my head still spinning.

I can't get up. I can't escape-

Addison stabs my stomach. I scream. Never in my life has this much blood escaped my body before. She gashes me some more. So…much…pain…

She punches my head, and the last thing I'm able to clearly see is the color red until everything abruptly goes dark.


	18. Night Falls

_Note: There's some swearing in this chapter. :(_

_Things aren't perfect in each Career pack. Tonight's chapter will focus on the Morningstars' afternoon and night. Watch as even the 'nice' guys start to lose it._

_I feel like I've hit some sort of milestone with forty reviews. I'm just a beginner; I need all the feedback I can get! So thank you to everyone who's left a review so far! I WANT TO GET AT LEAST ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS. *cough* Where did _that_ come from?_

_Read and review!_

**Canada Williams, District Twelve**

The Morningstars are out to kill. I'm ready. I'm getting pretty good with an ax, so I'll be able to defend myself in case we run into trouble.

* * *

We walk, but nobody really seems that interested in searching for tributes. Weird, considering that my group is made up of Careers and a psycho. Instead, we just chat about our home lives. We get to the topic of families.

"You're a twin, right?" Opal asks me.

"Was," I correct her. "My sister was killed several years ago."

I watch as her face crumples up.

"Wha…" I say. What's going on… what did I do?!

_"I'm a twin…"_ she says.

Oh no. If she dies, her brother might end up in the same position as me: a former twin. I pat her pack sympathetically. She pulls away and starts to cry. Reise decides to play Caretaker and tries to calm her down. Thuaine turns to me.

"What's wrong with her?" he asks me.

"W-what do y'mean, eh?" I say nervously.

"You know damn well what I mean," Thuaine says, his voice edgy.

"Are you… _are you talking about why she cries so easily?_" I whisper.

"Uh, yes," Thuaine says.

"I don't know," I say.

He smirks slightly. "I think she was dropped on her head as a baby, that's what. Maybe her brother got all of the smarts for the both of them and she was stuck like this. Or maybe-"

"Okay, okay," I say, holding my hands up in front of me as if to stop him. The way he's talking about Opal is making me feel uncomfortable. I don't like conflict. I don't like to upset people. Opal seems pretty upset right now and if she knew Thuaine was talking behind her back…

I make the resolution that I won't do anything to upset my friends from this moment on.

**Thuaine Laurinaitis, District Four**

Opal's having another meltdown. Dammit.

What is wrong with her? She is a fricking Career, for crying out loud! Seriously, she's fifteen! She's acting like she's five!

If she's going to make this much noise, it's much better if we turn back. It's getting dark, and if someone heard us, we'd be in trouble.

Looks like Reise was thinking the same thing. "Guys, it's almost suppertime. We've got to get back to camp. Opal's stressed out and I don't think it's a smart idea for her to go hunting. Y'know, the stress and all. We ready?"

We turn around. I'm still kind of pissed off about Opal.

"Thanks a lot, Opal," I say sarcastically. I squeeze her shoulder hard to add emphasis. She smacks me in the face.

"Eff you," she snaps.

None of us are in a good mood on the way back.

* * *

I'm still up. Everyone else fell asleep. Canada claimed the only non-wobbly bed so the girls just curled up on the couch together. I suppose I'll sleep on the floor. I'm not picky.

Hmm, the girls look a whole lot less dangerous when they're asleep. They look kind of cute, actually, even Opal. She certainly doesn't look like the girl that will have a meltdown at one moment and then kill someone the next.

Maybe I should just kill her now. Sure she's from my district and all, but she's just so annoying. I raise my knife to her neck.

_What am I doing?!_ I ask myself. She's my ally! It'd be wrong to kill one of your own allies, wouldn't it? As aggravating as Opal is… I just can't kill her. There's something innocent about her, in a Career sort of way. I can't find the words. All of my allies seem to have something weirdly childlike about them, albeit being Careers and crazy.

I make irrational decisions when I'm tired. Right now I'm so tired it's not even funny. I lay down on the musty old carpet, not even registering the sound of the house swaying in the wind.

**Katya Krane, District Two**

I wake up to a loud crash. The wall is caving in. No! Our hideout-it's crumbing around us!

"Everyone up!" I shout. The Morningstars groggily get up fumbling around for supplies.

"No time for supplies," I shout, "We have to MOVE!"

"We need supplies, Katya," says Reise, "or else we won't have any food."

"Take weapons, not food," I state, "We don't have much time."

"It's gonna collapse, guys, move!" I shout.

The Morningstars are a mess of shouting and grabbing and screaming before we finally get out the door. Reise has a backpack containing the food we collected.

"What did I say about bringing food?!" I shout.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Reise shouts back. "We're gonna need this stuff later."

"Just shut up, all of you!" shouts Thuaine. "We don't want to be heard. It's the middle of the night, and someone might find us. It's dark and we're being loud; it's a terrible combination. We just need to find a new hideout, alright?"

Still tired, we trudge around the town, trying not to make much noise or stand out. For all we know, other people are also up and going to jump at the opportunity to kill us.

* * *

Great. The gamemakers decided to make it cold tonight. How lovely. We shiver as we walk, making the need to find a new place to sleep far more urgent. We run now, trying to find an open house. There are tons of them boarded up, but we don't have the strength to pry one open at this time. All of us are too tired.

We stop at a Saloon. That's what it says on the sign. It looks like some sort of old fashioned bar, with doors that swing open and closed. We stumble in, not caring if our sneakers crunch on broken glass bottles. Our shoes are strong enough to endure a bit of glass.

"Why don't we sleep behind the bar?" I say. Everybody is too tired to object. We make our new camp behind the bar of the saloon. It's not nearly as comfy as the apartment, but the Capitol likes us to be uncomfortable. I guess it'll have to do for now. The Morningstars huddle close together for warmth as we fall asleep, thinking about what's in store for us when we arise.


	19. Taking a Chance

_Oh my gosh; over fifty reviews! *flails* _

_Thank youuuuuu! I'm so happy! Also, there's some more of Addison being Addison in this chapter. More rude and insensitive things are said, but that's part of her character. _

_Anyway, this chapter has some more swearing. Yeah. Addison, I've decided, is going to curse more than the other tributes. I'll try to keep even that to a minimum, though, since I don't swear much in real life._

_Enjoy! _

**Addison Hale, District One**

This is just too much fun. That Ned guy never stood a chance. His face, did you see his face!? That was so epic, it wasn't even funny. I'm grinning from ear to ear. By the looks like we're knocking out competition already.

Talia's still a retard, but she's a retard who can make a decent meal.

"I told you to quit calling her that," Gerome says over supper. Our supper is really good. Gerome and I have gotten donations and gifts from sponsors. Gerome shares his meal with Talia. Talia's rambling about life back home, not listening to what I just said. Gerome, on the other hand, heard perfectly.

"God, what's up with you? What's with you being so-"

"Mean?" I say. "It's just my nature. Get used to it."

"Stop making fun of Talia, Addis." Gerome says.

"It's not like she can understand, she's too stupid to-"

I'm cut off by a slap to my face.

"How dare you!" I shout. "I swear if you pull that kind of shit again, I'm gonna murder you. I don't care if we're on the same team, _I will murder you!_ Get it?" I end with a wicked grin.

"Got it," Gerome says, meekly.

"Good," I say. "Tomorrow, we're going to look extra hard for more kills, 'kay?"

"'kay," Gerome responds. I turn to Kiku, who was just discussing something pointless with the retard. "Tribute hunting tomorrow, got it?" I say. He nods, and continues his conversation. What, is that retard more interesting than me?

Whatever, tomorrow's gonna be epic.

**Russo Ginski, District Six**

Tasha and I still need food. It's almost night time, and we haven't eaten since we entered the arena. This is bad. We're gonna need to kill somebody soon if we want sponsors.

* * *

We hear a bush rustle. Is it a tribute? I'm ready. I grip my pipe. Tasha grabs my arm out of fear. Oh, silly Tasha, I'm going to keep you safe.

There's nothing to worry about. I'm her big brother now. I'm supposed to protect her. I brace myself.

"What if it's a Career?" Tasha asks.

"I'll kill them, don't worry." I say.

The rustling gets louder and louder. I grip the pipe tightly, and reassure Tasha that I can kill whatever is behind the bush. I brace myself.

A pair of eyes emerge from the bush. They aren't human eyes; that's for sure. They're of muttations. Tasha looks like she's about to scream. It's some sort of pig-like thing, all brown and hairy. It snorts, and charges right at us. Tasha keeps her cool and throws that knife of hers at the beat. It's weakened, but not enough. I swing my pipe and club its head in. The mutt falls to the ground, dead.

Tasha looks at me and smiles. I smile back and say, "Looks like we'll be having pork tonight."

**Chelsea Sey, District Eleven**

The bloodbath has died down hours ago, but I'm still reluctant to go outside. I'm so hungry, though. I swear I can almost smell food cooking.

I _do_ smell food cooking! Oh man, some tributes might be close. A regular tribute or a Career? There's only one way to find out. I'm going to look. The only thing I've got to lose is my life, after all. I take my brick along, in case I need to defend myself.

* * *

I smell a fire burning. As I get closer, smoke begins to tickle my nose. It reminds me greatly of a campfire back at home. I close my eyes and breathe deeply. My mind is transported back to a time before my entering into the arena. Now, I'm safe at home.

_It's been a long day of hard work. I've just begun to help out in the plantations. I'm not that great yet, but I'm working at it. _

_Mama says we're gonna have a campfire tonight. Camp is the place that the little kids go in the summer when their Mamas and Daddies are still busy. I've been too old for camp for a while now, seeing as I'm helping out in the plantation now. Hearing the word "campfire" is music to my ears. Campfires are my favorite thing in the world. _

_Mama invites all of the neighbors, including that one older boy who always kisses my cheeks when he comes over. I stick my tongue out at him, but then go back to smiling. Nothing can dampen my excited mood. We cook some meat over the fire. It tastes all smoky, my favorite. _

_Next we sing songs. Folk songs, songs we've all learned when we were young. We generally sing them out in the fields, but they truly feel special when they're sung at the campfire to me. _

_I wish that the night could last forever. It's summertime, the most magical time of the year. Everything special happens in the summer. The campfire is the most special. Summer's nearly over, though, and the weather will start to get cold again. _

_Tonight, though, it's campfire night. I am with my family and friends, and that one boy who flirts with me. All is well, even though we all know that tomorrow will bring a grueling workload with it. _

_We do not care tonight. We are all together and having fun. And that's all that matters at the moment. _

"Who goes here?" calls a voice close by. I snap open my eyes. Oh crap. It's that tall guy and his creepy sister. "What do you want?" he says.

"I just need food!" I squeal. "I'm sorry-I'm so hungry. I thought I smelled meat cooking over a fire and I was wondering if you would like to-"

I don't get to finish my sentence before he clubs me over the head with his pipe.

* * *

_Russo's going crazy... and extremely paranoid. How delightful._


	20. Confusion

_There's more sensitive material in this chapter. Just warning you guys._

_And there's more swearing, too. I'm really sorry about that. I'll try to make up for it by… adding in a silly, but still shocking twist! Maybe…_

_Wow, it's the twentieth chapter already! Party time! Excellent! Woo-oo-oo-oo-ooh! _

_Once again, where did _that_ come from? Anyway, I feel like I've reached some sort of milestone. This calls for a celebration! Can I get a whoop-whoop?_

_*Crickets chirp in the background* _

_No? Never mind. _

_Anyway, thank you to Number One Fan of Journey, Obiwanlivesforever, and Snuffy of the Wind for being such awesome reviewers, as well as sharkbait95. You guys rock! _

_Read and Review! _

_(By the way, I might edit this chapter a bit. Specifically Talia's chapter. Just a warning.)_

* * *

**Tino Finn, District Ten**

Supper consists of several crackers and cheese from my mentor. I'm still hungry after my meal, but that's to be expected of the Hunger Games. It's not called the Hunger Games for nothing. I do wish that my mentor sent me more food, though.

Come to think of it, I wish my mentor gave me a whole lot more tips on survival in the Hunger Games. He didn't say much to me during the train ride, he was too busy working out. Why didn't he bother to help? Doesn't he care about his tribute's well-being? I walk around aimlessly as I don't know what I'm doing anymore.

* * *

Night comes as a shock of black covering the sky. There's almost no time to watch the sun set and see grow dark. One of the gamemaker's tricks, I presume.

Faces of fallen tributes are projected into the sky. I stare a bit when I see Susan's face. This is the last time I'm going to see her face again. I wish I could say I loved her back. I really, really do. I'm sorry I don't.

I'm not supposed to let this bother me! I said I wouldn't do this earlier. Even though I didn't love her, I begin to cry. Tears streak my face. I'm just so upset. The whole Hunger Games- it's just terrible. I'm going to win the Hunger Games. I need to get out of this place. This freaking arena- I hate it! I just want to go home.

And I don't want to come back in a casket. I decide to find some place to sleep to take my mind off of Susan.

I think I'll sleep outside tonight. It's rather chilly, but I'm used to cold back at home. I'll be fine. And if I'm not, I can always find another place to sleep.

**Talia Venez, District Three**

_I'm at a party. This is the very first one I've ever been to. The music is very loud; the speakers are being borrowed from the Mayor. Thank goodness Romano gave me ear plugs. There is a bowl of fruit punch to my left. A blonde boy asks me if I'd like any. _

_"Yes, please," I answer. He chuckles. I don't know why. He hands me a cup of punch. I sip it and say "thank you," to him. He asks me to dance. "Okay!" I say. _

_We dance. Everything starts to become a blur from then on. The party begins to look and feel hazy. I don't know what's going on. _

_The next thing I know the boy's kissing me. I don't like this at all! I scream at him to make him go away, but he doesn't. I scream louder and louder, but he doesn't leave. _

_Help! Somebody! Romano! Help me! _

"Talia? Talia! Are you okay?" asks Romano. I cry and cry. That nightmare keeps coming back. I hate it so much. I get so scared when I have that dream. Gerome comes over to check up on me. Along with Romano, he gives me a hug. I don't mind at all.

"When I heard you scream, I expected the worst," Romano says. He looks at Gerome. Gerome looks down. I don't get it.

Gerome starts to say, "I told you already I would _never_-" He's cut off by Romano who says, "Not now. Talia's right here. Let's not worsen the situation." I don't know what's going on!

"Romano, what are you talking about?" I ask.

"Not now," he says, which he's told me is a polite way of saying "I won't tell you." It's a more confusing way, actually. If you really wanted to be polite, you wouldn't say it in such confusing ways.

"Go back to sleep, Talia," says Romano. I close my eyes and eventually fall asleep again. I don't remember my next dream.

**Tasha Ginski, District Six**

What just happened? What the hell just happened? So Russo and I were just eating our supper of pork-mutt and this girl just randomly bursts out of nowhere and starts blubbering about food and being hungry and then he smacks her with his pipe. Nice.

And now I'm freaking out. "You don't just hit people with pipes, Russo!" I shout.

"Relax," he says, "it's not like I killed her or anything. I just needed to shut her up. While she's out cold, I suppose we should decide on what to do with her."

"What are you talking about?" I shout again. "You're insane!"

Russo's reaction isn't even reassuring. "You just noticed?" he asks.

"Russo, there's a girl that you just knocked out. Do something about it!"

"I suppose we_ could_ let her stay for supper…"

"Why didn't you figure that, I don't know, _before you knocked her out?"_

"I wasn't thinking about it at the time," Russo wheedles.

"And you were thinking about…"

"Knocking her out." Russo replies.

"Why?"

"She was armed."

"She was crying about food and was holding a brick for Pete's sake!"

"A brick could be used as a weapon."

"You are totally insane!" I yell. "Let's just wake that poor girl up, okay? Just let her eat some pork-mutt and then have her run along. Then if she dies later on, her death won't be blamed on us."

Russo nods. "I guess so," he says. We go to wake up the girl, who is confused as can be. "Campfire!" she shouts. I hand her some pork-mutt. She begins to sing some old folk songs. Russo and I are very confused, but we sing along with her. After she eats, she falls asleep on the ground by the fire.

Russo and I don't know what to do with this girl, so we abandon her. We leave the pork-mutt with her so she'll have some food. Russo can always club another mutt for us tomorrow. Then we walk around the ghost town in search of a more substantial place to sleep than the ground.


	21. Hallucinations Loss and an Odd Alliance

_I haven't a great deal on what to say about this chapter. While it clearly isn't another milestone, I still feel good about myself for getting up to chapter twenty-one in such a short amount of time. _

_An author can be proud of herself, right? _

_Read and Review! _

* * *

**Rod Austro, District Nine**

I make a bed out of a haystack. While it isn't the most comfortable place to sleep, I will have to make do.

* * *

I can't sleep. What a clichéd phrase. Unfortunately, the phrase rings true as I am losing sleep out of fear. I have every reason to fear as well, for I am in the Hunger Games. Someone might kill me in my sleep.

Out of the lack of anything better to do, I rummage through my backpack in hopes of finding something remotely useful. I cannot believe that this didn't occur to me earlier. I smack myself for being foolish and unzip the bag.

The bag contains some wire, a bottle of water and a knife. I truly wish I had thought of this sooner. The knife is a long one and plenty sharp. It's got a good handle to grasp. I can't believe my luck on this. Just the mere fact that I have a weapon is enough to finally get me to fall asleep.

Just as I'm about to doze off, I hear some voices. Their footsteps are coming my way. Their voices get louder and louder, until I can clearly hear what they're saying.

"How 'bout here?" says a female voice.

"I suppose…" says a male.

"What?" the female asks.

"What if it caves in on us like the last one?" says the male.

"You must be freaking insane because you know the gamemakers wouldn't pull the same stunt twice," says the female.

I peer out from the haystack to examine the situation. They are armed; the male with a pipe and the female with a knife. This is bad. If they see me, they'll surly kill me. This is terrible news, indeed.

Might as well try and kill the male right now. I'm not the most pointed when it comes to weapons, but I suppose I could attempt to throw the knife at the male. If I hit him, I hit him; if I don't… I run. There's a crack not far off to where I'm standing, so I can make an escape if necessary.

The two are still quietly discussing whether or not they want to stay here. I draw a deep breath and aim carefully. This is the only shot I've got and would not like to botch it. I throw the knife and then close my eyes. I hear a scream. A female scream, to be precise. Behind the haystack once more, I view the result if my attack: I struck the female by mistake. I watch the boy, horrified, kneeling before her to comfort her one last time.

I run before the male can recognize me.

**Russo Ginski, District Six**

My beautiful stepsister is dying. A knife flies out of nowhere and hits her neck. She screams. I look around in the dark barn for the attacker. I can't see anyone. Is the person hiding in the shadows?

I look at poor Tasha, laying on the floor bleeding. "Tasha," I say, "Shhh." I kneel beside her and scoop her in my arms. "I'm so sorry," I say. She continues to sob. I kiss her cheeks, and then her nose in hopes of making her happy before she passes.

Tasha smiles faintly. "Thanks, Russo…" she says before she slips from my grasp. Her cannon fires.

Although I knew it was going to happen, I burst into tears. Tasha was a great stepsister. Sure, she was a bit creepy at times, but I'm crazy too. We were close. Not close in the way she wanted us to be, but shared a sibling bond. She was the kind of person that truly felt like a sister, you know? It was as if she was siblings with me and Kate right from the start.

And now she's dead. My sister is dead.

"She's dead!" I shout. "My sister is dead!"

My sister is dead my sister is dead my sister is dead! I can't stay in the barn and watch my sister get taken away in a hovercraft. It'll be too painful. I'm going to need to find somewhere to sleep instead of here. Who knows if the attacker is still here, waiting for me to drop my pipe so I'm unarmed so s/he could kill me?

I run. I run out of fear of death. I run out fear of Tasha's death. I run out of fear for everything in the arena and don't even focus on where I'm going.

I trip. It must've been a log or something. I curse under my breath as I haul myself up. I kick the log.

"Ouch," it says.

"Sorry," I respond.

…Wait. Logs don't talk.

Yup. I'm clearly losing my marbles. I must be hallucinating.

Okay. If I am hallucinating right now, I might as well have fun with it.

"What's your name?" I ask the log.

"Tino," says the log.

"That's nice. I think there's a tribute out in the arena somewhere named Tino, too. If he could hallucinate, you two would make great friends," I say.

"Umm, what are you talking about? Did your mentor give you drugs by accident or something? I'm not a hallucination." says Tino.

I look down. It isn't a log at all. It's a tribute lying on the ground at night. I feel like an idiot.

"That's how we greet each other in my district!" I say. "With ridiculous jokes. So… you wanna ally with me?"

Why did I just say that? I didn't have anything better to say or ask. I needed to steer the conversation in a different direction so he didn't think I was a complete nutcase.

"Sure," he says. "Wow, you're tall."

"Thanks…" I say, not sure how else to respond.

"So, ally, what do you say about sleeping under the stars for the night?" He asks.

"Nights were much colder back at home, I can bear it," I say. We lay down on the ground. Tino falls asleep quickly, while I'm still awake. I think about Tasha. What I really need right now is to cry, but what I also need is sleep. I'm exhausted. I'll mourn for Tasha later. Right now, I need the shut-eye.

I eventually fall asleep. It takes time, but dreams creep up on me, dragging me into a vivid imaginary world, far away from the dark landscape of the Hunger Games.


	22. Uncertainty

_Chapter twenty to, it is. This author's not is really pointless, but who cares. I'm the author so I can add dumb author's notes if I want to. _

_Let's have some more recommended listening, shall we? _

_...Maybe later. Enjoy the chapter!_

**Reise Cray, District Twelve **

I hope I can kill somebody soon. It's been nagging at me since the Games started. I've been pretty preoccupied with being the Morningstars' Caretaker. I don't even know how I ended up being my pack's mother figure, but here I am. I'm not complaining, though; the only problem is that I want to kill someone soon.

Aside from the fear of running into a dangerous tribute or the other Career Pack, the Hunger Games have been pretty uneventful. There isn't enough fear.

Strike that. The other pack is creepy. The leader has more insanity and bloodlust than any other person I've ever encountered in my life. Including me. But I'd never hurt someone because I thought they were less than me. I just like to kill. At least, I think I do.

I've watched the Hunger Games year after year for as long as I can remember, and all I could think about was the excitement that went on. I haven't seen much excitement since the bloodbath. It's not that I don't like being with the pack, I just want to get some killing done. In the saloon, it's just so boring.

We'll go hunting after breakfast. Katya said so. We all slept in a bit since we didn't get the greatest amount of sleep last night.

Together, the Morningstars eat rations of food (some jerky and bits of dried fruit) and set out to hunt for tributes. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I have no clue of what to expect. Though I've been writing gory horror stories in my notebook (thank goodness I have a pen!), I don't know what will happen if I kill someone. I know I want to but… what if I can't?

What if I can't muster enough strength to kill? What if the tribute I'm up against has some skill that gives them a greater advantage? What if I die?

I won't be able to finish my story.

Which means I'm going to have to kill somebody if I want my story to continue.

**Romano Venez, District Three**

Last night, I nearly had a heart attack. Talia had that nightmare again. I didn't know that at the time, though, and thought it was someone attacking her. I thought it was Gerome attacking her. I don't know why I immediately thought it was him. Maybe I'm being overprotective of Talia. She just needs to be protected, that's all.

I just don't want anything bad to happen to her. I want to win, but I want her to win and I don't want her to get ruthlessly murdered but I don't want to make the agonizing decision of whether it would be her or me to die if we by any great miracle-or curse- were the last ones standing. It would be too painful for either of us to lose each other.

Why are we still part of this stupid alliance? Talia likes Gerome. I'm actually quite surprised, as she doesn't like people all that much. _Especially_ after that damned party she went to. She didn't even mind when Gerome hugged her.

I just… can't believe she's becoming friends with Kiku and Gerome. They were talking to each other continuously during breakfast. I feel… a little left out. Talia and I have a special bond, one that doesn't loosen at all. And now, she's making friends without me. I should feel so proud of her, as she doesn't normally do this but I don't know.

I really don't know what's wrong with me.

**Tino Finn, District Ten**

This is rather… odd.

Russo, who's big and scary (bigger and scarier than Susan!) is my new ally. This is weird on so many levels. First of all, he thought I was a hallucination when he first saw me. He thought I was a talking log for crying out loud. He must've been pretty rattled from the death of his stepsister. He told me that Tasha was killed and he ran off after her cannon fired.

I don't know whether it's my personal opinion or not, but Russo seems slightly…unstable. He just seems a little crazy to me. I wish I knew what to say around him. I just get so freaked out that he might kill me with his pipe if I say something wrong by accident or something.

"So, Russo, do you want some breakfast or something? I mean, I don't have any food on me or anything, but how about we hunt for some food? That might be nice." I say.

He doesn't respond. Russo appears to be lost in his own world right now. I'll give him his time. He's been really upset about Tasha's death. I know that Tasha loved him dearly, and that he loved her in his own brotherly way. He didn't love her the way she loved him, but is still able to mourn her death.

I feel like some sort of heartless monster. Susan and I knew each other for years and years, friends since we were young, and her death didn't cause me any pain at all. Now, my pain comes from lack of pain.

Does that make sense?

"Russo, I'm going to go find some food. I'm hungry and you probably will be, too. So I'm going to go now, alright?"

"Fine," he mutters.

* * *

I'd really appreciate Russo's presence now. I'm nervous. I could sure use Russo's protection if some Careers came along. I mean, Russo's big and tall and menacing looking and _carries a freaking pipe for crying out loud!_ It's a whole lot better than being alone, let me tell you.

After searching bushes and trees, I find some edible berries. I gather some up in my shirt and line my pockets with them. I'm going to need all the food I can get if I'm going to feed Russo as well. Something tells me that he isn't the kind of person you want to mess with when he's hungry. Or at all, for that matter.

I finish gathering berries and run straight back to where we set up camp. Russo hasn't budged since I left. "Russo, I've got breakfast." I say.

"Thanks," he says, taking the berries and then going back to where he was sitting.

I'll give him his time.


	23. Musings

_This chapter is yet another thing that I'm trying out. Even though I've done it in Rod's part, I'm going to let a few other characters do some musing. I just kind of want to see what's going on in their minds, too. _

_I'm sorry if the chapter comes across as sort of choppy or something. _

_Anyway, as usual I hope you guys enjoy. Read and review!_

**Lizzie Hedervary, District Seven **

I'm hungry. It looks like nobody's been sponsoring me. I bet everyone's sponsoring Felix! I'll be willing to hunt, but I'm not the most capable of building a fire. Felix was able to build a fire in training. I hate that he can build a fire and I can't. He's a prissy little-thing! Yet again, words to describe Felix just escape me.

I'm exhausted. I barely got a wink of sleep last night. I was going to sleep in that old barn but I heard a scream and saw someone running out crying. I deemed that place as unsafe and moved on to find a different place.

I found a little old wind chime store that was open, and went in there. I figured that most tributes would be looking for the people hiding in houses, as they're the most typical places to hide. I got up early just in case of anything; and now I'm walking around, looking for some food.

* * *

Carrying around this stupid spear is aggravating. I have to carry it around, and it's not doing me any good at the moment. It probably will soon, as I'm going to use it to hunt something. Man, it's funny, for breakfast I'm going to eat fresh kill or something when at home I'd be eating fresh bread. The games just throw you off schedule, don't they?

I'm sick of being alone. I need an ally. An ally would be great. I'm getting so tired of being by myself. I need someone to talk to, someone that actually knows what they're doing in the Hunger Games. I trudge through the ghost town, kicking dust with my sneaker. Stupid ghost town. I'd love it if it were a forest. True, there is some forest around here, but it's only around the town. Forests are freaking boring like a stupid ghost town!

* * *

Seriously, if they wanted to have the Hunger Games be interesting, they should've done something better than a ghost town…

Despite not having an ally, I'm kind of happy. I mean, I'm not fatally injured and am not _incredibly_ hungry, and I've got a weapon to fight with. Yeah. There's so much to be grateful in the Hunger Games.

* * *

This spear was made for killing, and that's just what it'll do, one of these days this spear is gonna, spear right through you.

I am being so funny right now. Ha, ha, ha.

* * *

I am still so hungry. I need to find some sort of food soon.

A rabbit hops my way. Yes, yes, yes! Come to Sissy, rabbit mutt, come to Sissy!

Wait, don't hop away! I need you for breakfast!

I run after the rabbit mutt. It's almost in my reach. Yes! I spear it.

I think it's dead now.

Building a fire is the next step. I guess I'll need to find wood. I sigh and start searching for firewood.

**Canada Williams, District Twelve**

Though I hate the way Thuaine has been treating everyone, I'm still in the pack.

For a very stupid reason, mind you.

It's really embarrassing, so I'm only going to say it once, and won't say it again.

Ready?

I find Katya extremely attractive.

Katya and I talk for a little bit while we walk. I feel like I'm in heaven. Funny, I have never had a crush on someone before the Hunger Games, where death is the norm. It looks like my crush might be… short lived.

…Especially since I made a fool of myself during breakfast.

We were eating, and Katya and I were talking about something, I don't remember what, and I guess I was kind of… staring at her.

And she noticed.

"Excuse me," she said, "but my eyes are up here."

I felt like the biggest idiot in all of Panem.

You do not mess with Careers, even if they're in your pack. I don't know who was redder that moment, her or me, we were both so embarrassed.

It looks like she forgave me, but I can't be too sure. She seems like someone you don't want to mess with.

I keep doing the stupidest things. I hope I'm not making a mistake staying in this alliance.

**Chelsea Sey, District Eleven**

When I wake up, the campfire is over. I must've fallen asleep. I've done that before. I smile and breathe in the remains of the campfire.

I realize something that makes my smile fade. If I fall asleep at the campfire, my parents usually take me inside. Why didn't they do that this time?

That's really rude. Did I do something wrong? Are they trying to teach me a lesson for falling asleep during festivities?

Why does my head hurt? Funny, I don't even remember what happened at campfire last night. Did I smack my head on something?

Why don't I know this? I'm going to go home. I'm so confused.

* * *

My surroundings do not look at all like District Eleven. What's going on here? Why is everything unfamiliar? Where's my house again?

Why is everything spinning?

I shake my head, trying to clear my mind. Everything's a muddle.

I'm so scared. Where am I?

Who am I is out of the question, I know who I am. I'm Chelsea Sey and I live in District Eleven and I love swimming and campfires and...

I remind myself of everything I am to make sure I don't get myself even more confused.

* * *

My house, where is it? Why does everything look like some weird ghost town? Did someone abandon me…?

I don't even know anymore…

* * *

I can't see straight. I hold my head in hopes of the spinning disappearing, but no such luck. I sit down by the side of a building, trying to figure out what's going on and what I'm doing here.

I look at my clothes, as if they'll help clue me in. Hmmm, brown pants, dark green shirt and a matching brown sweater. I have never owned these clothes before.

This is not any help to my confusion.

I wish I knew where I was.


	24. Heck

_Hey, hey; Sharon here. I really haven't the slightest where this is going. Bear with me if the story gets a little slow. Every chapter surprises me, too. I know I'm going to have to kill off someone shortly, as nobody's died since chapter twenty-one. _

_Maybe I'll hold off for now, but I might chance my mind. _

_Most likely by the end of the chapter, someone's gonna die. I bet you a cookie someone will. _

_Read and review, and don't forget to be awesome. (Like you would) _

**Katya Krane, District Two**

The nerve of him-staring at me like that! Canada didn't seem like the guy to ogle girl's bodies like that. He's so nice. And now I'm starting to think his "nice guy" angle is only an act.

I've known quite a few liars in my time, with most of them being male. The men are the worst. Perverts, that's what they are.

I didn't think _he_ was one, too.

"Katya, I'm sorry," he whispers as we continue to walk. "I didn't mean to,"

"You didn't mean to stare at me like that?" I snarl. I hold up the pitchfork I found by the edge of the saloon and hold it up to his chest. I put it down quickly to show that I wouldn't really kill him.

"It won't happen again, Katya," he says, sincerely. "After Thuaine was kind of making fun of Opal and I didn't do anything to stop him, I swore that I wouldn't do anything else to hurt my friends. I failed. I'm really sorry that I upset you, Katya."

I slow my pace and look into his eyes.

"You don't have to forgive me now if you don't want to. I'll let you take your time."

He really is sorry. I see it in his eyes. "It's okay," I say. "It happens a lot."

"I'm sorry!" he says, a little louder, "I really don't know what I was thinking-I don't want you to lump me with the other guys that have upset you like that. I'm really not that kind of guy. I'm much better than-"

"It's okay! I forgive you." I say. "Come on; don't be all weird like this. Get your axe ready because we're going to hunt some tributes."

**Addison Hale, District One**

The Pack needs to kill someone soon. I'm getting restless here. This is getting ridiculous, especially with Gerome flirting with Talia.

I'm so sick of Talia. Her brother is always around her helping her with things because she's too big of a retard to do them herself. I don't know what Gerome sees in that Lowlife.

I should kill her before things get ugly. What's Gerome, the superior blond Career doing falling for a freaking Lowlife retard? I am so _sick_ of that girl!

If I kill her later, though, Gerome will have gotten attached to Talia. They're in love already, I can tell. That means it will be all the more fun to murder her.

I decide to wait, just because it will be so much fun to see Gerome's face when she's dead.

**Opal Fagin, District Four**

I am a strong Career. I am. I just have been panicking too much. I'm not like this always, really! You saw me kill Traz, right? I'm not a sobbing mess always. I'm going to prove to the other Morningstars that I am capable of being a Career.

I grabbed a sword before we left; it's my weapon of choice. I'm feeling better about myself already. We're now walking along the town looking for kills.

Our arena is pretty weird. It's a ghost town in the middle with trees and everything, surrounded by desert, which is surrounded by forest.

I can't believe some nutcase actually thought _that_ up. What is up with this arena, anyway? It's so weird.

Anyway, it looks like we're getting close to someone. There's this girl with red ribbons running around screaming "What's going on here? Where am I? What's everybody doing?" and knocking on all of the doors to houses.

Wonder what happened to _her_. She looks so scared, so miserable. It'd be for the best to take her out of her misery. The Morningstars consult and decide to go after the poor girl. I with my sword, Canada with his ax, Katya with her pitchfork, and Thuaine and his bow and arrows we're ready to take out that poor girl.

**Chelsea Sey, District Eleven**

Okay, I still don't know where I am. All I know is that I'm not alone in this town-wherever it is. In fact, there's a group of kids coming my way! Maybe I could ask them what's going on here. They'll know.

"Hey, what's going on here?" I call to them. "Why are we in this town?"

They have smiling faces. Smiling=good, right? Smiling=happy. They seem happy to see me. That's good. I need someone to tell me what's going on here. I don't seem to understand anything anymore.

I see something wrong with the picture soon after I assume they're good kids. The kids are holding weapons. Why? Why are they doing that? Are they in a gang or something? I bet they are.

I've never seen a gang before. I'm so scared. I've never been here before and I don't know what's going on and I'm scared and what did I do to be here? Am I…have I done something _wrong_ to end up here?

Am I in Hell?

I think I am in Hell.

I scream loud enough for the Heavens to hear me, in the vain attempt of warding off these kids. How long have they been here? What did they do?

What did I do? I did nothing wrong, I was a good kid. Wait, does that mean somebody killed me? Why are those kids here? They look like they want to kill me.

I didn't do anything I didn't do anything I didn't do anything why am I here what did I do wrong I didn't do anything wrong I didn't do anything wrong why am I here why are they after me please don't kill me please don't kill me please don't kill me!

The group surrounds me. I hear a girl say "Just put her out of her misery." The brunette male nods and grabs my neck. He cuts my spinal cord and everything goes black.


	25. Loss

_I'm back. :) How's it going, guys? Here's the newest chapter. I'm not sure how regularly I'm going to be able to update and everything._

_I'm sorry I had to take hiatus; I was just strapped for ideas and needed the time to let some new ones come to me. Thank you all for being so patient and considerate about this._

**Felix Lukas, District Seven**

I've got fire, food and donations. That totally rocks! I'm, like, all set for the rest of the Games. Now, if only I had Lizzie, things would be even better.

How's Lizzie doing? I heard a cannon fire not long ago. Oh my God what if Lizzie got killed? She wanted a double suicide back in training. Did she crack and just kill herself without me with her? I don't want my Sissy to die. Like, what the hell was I thinking when I said I wanted to win? Winning means losing Sissy.

Well, I've lost her already, haven't I?

This is just too depressing. Like, gag me with a spoon!

**Reise Cray, District Twelve**

I stab the body of the girl even after her cannon rings.

"She's dead," says Opal.

"I know," I say.

Opal wears a false cheerful smile. "Let's go find another!" she chirps. She seems _too_ cheerful to be true.

"You okay?" I ask her.

"We're going tribute hunting, Reise! Of course I'm okay!" she says. She gives me a friendly shove.

I look into her eyes. "How come you're a Career, Opal?" I ask quietly. "You really don't seem like you want to be here."

"Fear," she says. "I became a Career out of fear of death. I wanted to be as prepared as possible if I was reaped for the Hunger Games. So I joined the Career Training program. There was an odd gap when it came to the Careers this year. There were no older kids to volunteer. So when I was reaped, nobody volunteered for me. And now I'm here. I don't know what to do now. I don't want to have the same fate as the Careers from last year."

"That's awful," I say. For some odd reason, I start to think to myself, _After the Games, maybe she and I could write to each other or some-_I stop.

If one of us goes home, one of us dies. The fact that everyone will not come back has just dawned on me. I guess I was thinking… I don't know what I was thinking. I originally thought that everything in the Hunger Games was the way they show it on TV: the Careers being awesome and fearless, the bad guys getting what they deserve and the Victor looking flushed with pride of winning.

It is not the case. Everyone is scared out of their minds. These good people are dying. I've made a friend who will have to die if I wanted to win.

Maybe that's the reason those two friends were fighting earlier: so they wouldn't have to face the same realization as me.

Maybe they had already.

Did either of them die yet? It's awful to see friendships get torn apart by the Hunger Games.

For the first time since I've entered the arena, I do not want to kill. If I kill, people will actually die. But if I want to win, I'll have to kill.

I'll kill, then. I'm part of the Morningstars. I'm part of a Career pack. The least I can do for my pack is kill someone for them.

It has been decided: I will kill.

**Tino Finn, District Ten**

Russo hasn't budged. He's crying. I feel so awkward right now.

I decide to be blunt with my question to him. "What can I do to make you feel better?" I ask.

Russo looks at me for a second, and then cries again.

I didn't actually think that a big and scary looking guy like him could cry. Despite being the burly guy he is, he looks so small and sad.

"You two were close, weren't you?" I whisper. Russo nods.

"I didn't think I'd miss her so much," he says. "Our parents had being going out for a long time before they got married, so we saw each other often. Her dad was a carpenter and made us these little wooden dolls that would hide inside each other. They were painted to look like us. My oldest sister Kate was the biggest at the time, so hers was the largest. Mine was the middle since I was the "middle" child by that time. And little Tasha had the smallest one.

"I remember Tasha and me bringing our dolls to school and then getting made fun of. Tasha cried on the way home. It was awful. I asked her dad to make us miniature ones for us so we could have them at all times." He fishes out a little wooden peanut out of his pocket.

"Tasha and I traded our dolls with each other to bring as our District Token. I have the doll of her and she…"

"Had your doll," I finish.

"I'm not a sissy to have this doll, okay?" Russo says. "It's special. You understand, don't you?"

"I understand completely," I say. "Do you need some comfort?" I ask him.

He nods. I go up to Russo and give him a hug. I'm so small compared to him. My arms can't even hug him properly. He doesn't mind, though. I notice a small smile beneath his tears.

"It'll take time," I say, "But your grief will pass soon."

"Thank you," he says, and then begins to cry again.

At least I was able to help for a little while.

**Rod Austro, District Nine**

Hunting for more tributes seems like the most practical thing to do at this time of day. It isn't quite lunchtime, and I need to eliminate the competition. I do hope that I don't run into the girl who looks like Honey again.

It would be far too painful.

Strange, isn't it? I find it much less painful to commit murder than to face a girl whom resembles a lost love.

The world works in scary ways sometimes.

* * *

This is the first time in quite a while that I feel like my life is worth living. I wish to win so I can live out my life for the both of us, Honey and me. I would try foods that I know she'd like if she was here, visit all the places that she thought we might visit someday.

We'd live out our forever in a different way.

But forever is a short time in Panem.

It's even shorter in the Hunger Games.

* * *

It appears to be that my knife is no longer with me. The knife must have been taken away with the body of Tasha.

I am officially weaponless. I have been exceedingly careless lately, have I not? I am hunting tributes without a weapon. I am such a fool.

My new mission is to locate a new weapon. I'm going to need to defend myself, as there's no one to defend me.

And I don't mind at all.


	26. Explosion

_We have passed the halfway mark! This calls for ANOTHER CELEBRATION! _

_*Pops open bottle of sparkling grape juice and hands glasses over to lovely reviewers*_

_Thank you for all of your kind support. Like I've said before, it really means a lot to me. I'm really new at writing fanfiction, so I thank you for sticking with me even when my story lacks._

_Hey, spread the word! If you know people that would like my story, let them know about it. I love to share my work with as many people as possible. :)_

**Russo Ginski, District Six **

Tino's trying hard to comfort me, but he doesn't get it. This is the first time that I've ever truly cried.

My friends back at home were impressed with my inability to be sad, that I was so optimistic even in times when my family didn't have enough food.

Tasha is the only one to ever make me cry.

It's too painful. I need to be alone.

But Tino insists on staying by my side.

"Is there anything I can get you, Russo?" he asks. "More berries or something? Or do you want a proper lunch? I can try and hunt something. I can build a trap. I-"

"Stop. Please. Just leave me alone." I say. We are sitting on the ground by our camp. I have my knees drawn close and I've wrapped my arms around them. Tino sits on a rock to level with me.

"You sure?" he asks.

"Positive," I say.

"I lost someone, too." Tino says softly.

"You didn't love her, now did you?" I snap. His cheeks flush red, embarrassed.

"All I was saying is that I underst-" I cut him off.

"You don't understand anything! Losing family is much worse than losing the girl that liked you. You didn't love her back."

"You didn't love your sister back!" he shouts.

"I loved her like a sister! We were stepsiblings! She had a crush on me since we met, and it didn't go away even after our parents made it clear that they were staying together. If we had the money, Tasha would've seen a counselor to help her. I didn't love her like a lover, you idiot! Of course I didn't. I loved her like a SISTER!"

"I'm sorry…" Tino whispers. "I'm so, so-"

"You're not sorry," I growl. "You're just making an excuse for being such an ignorant jerk. Just leave me alone!"

Tino nods, and sits several yards away from me. It's far enough to give me my space, but near enough to know that we're still allies.

Maybe we'll stay allies.

Maybe not.

**Opal Fagin, District Four**

We continue to walk. I hope we don't run into any other Careers.

I'm scared to die. I'm so, so scared to die. Those guys have it out for me. Don't think like this! I am a Career. I can kill them if I want to.

I can kill them.

I can kill them.

They won't hurt me because I will kill them before they do.

Lost in thought, I fall behind in pace with the rest of my pack. Canada is behind them as well.

I don't talk to him much. We don't have too much to say to each other, and I'm afraid that he might bring up his sister in conversation. That would make me feel uncomfortable and want to cry.

Canada is a nice guy, he really is. I just can't talk to him.

I hope he doesn't mind.

* * *

Canada and I both trip over a fallen telephone line. The others must've jumped over it. We weren't looking where we were going. I fall to the ground, trying to catch myself with my hands. I can't, and scrape my arms and twisting my leg in the process.

"OW!" I shriek. The other Morningstars turn around and come for us.

My leg hurts a lot. What if my leg is broken?

My eyes water. No! I am not going to cry! I am not going to cry again.

"Help me…?" I ask feebly. I don't know how long it's been since I've twisted my ankle. It's never hurt this bad Fortunately, Canada seems to be alright. Good for him. He does appear to have a limp, but nobody else seems to notice.

"Don't worry about my wellbeing. I'm fine." Canada mutters sarcastically. Nobody listens.

I must be crying now because Katya says, "Don't worry. It's only a twisted ankle. We'll see what we can do about it, okay?"

I nod.

"Look!" I shout. A parachute falls from the sky. Reise catches it. It contains an ice pack. We sit down by the wind chime shop and I put the ice pack on my foot.

When my ankle starts to feel better, we continue to walk into town.

**Canada Williams, District Twelve**

The gamemakers are at it again. The town is sweltering hot. I'm much more inclined to cool weather. This is very overwhelming. By the looks of it, the other Morningstars aren't taking the heat very well, either.

We have removed our sweaters and tied them around our waists. Opal passes the ice pack around for everyone to take turns using. We need to be as cool as possible if we want to get some hunting done.

We're going to be doing more tribute hunting.

I really, really dislike the idea of going hunting for tributes, but this is the Hunger Games after all. And I'm with a group of Careers. So I have to go along with them.

It's not like they'd listen to what I have to say, anyway.

Katya is the only one who talks to me, and doesn't talk to me much. Everybody else is always together, laughing and yelling. I feel left out. While Katya does hang out with me, she always ends up talking with the others more.

I feel invisible.

If I broke from this alliance, no one would notice.

Katya wouldn't care. She's got all the others to be with.

* * *

When Thuaine does notice again, I'm glad.

"Hey, could you watch Opal for a little bit? Reise is going to look for some more tributes and somebody has to take care of her." Thuaine says.

I'm not glad anymore. I glare at him angrily.

"You're good with little kids, right?" he says. His voice trails off when he registers how angry I am.

I explode.

"NONE OF YOU CARE ABOUT ME! YOU ONLY LET ME IN BECAUSE REISE IS MY DISTRICT PARTNER! I WILL NOT BABYSIT OPAL FOR YOU. SHE. IS. FIFTEEN. JUST A FEW YEARS YOUNGER THAN US. SHE IS NOT A 'LITTLE KID.' NONE OF YOU GUYS EVER NOTICE ME, NEVER DO ANYTHING _I _WANT, NEVER LET ME SPEAK! YOU ALL FAILED TO NOTICE THAT I TRIPPED OVER THE TELEPHONE POLE, TOO! I GOT HURT, TOO! DID YOU CARE? NO! NONE OF YOU CARE ABOUT ME AT ALL! I QUIT THIS ALLIANCE! I AM NOT A MORNINGSTAR ANYMORE!"

Everybody stops in their tracks. Thuaine looks at me with wide eyes.

"I…I…" he starts.

"I quit." I repeat.

"Do you quit the Hunger Games, too?" he says. Is he… smirking?

"Never," I reply.

"Too bad," says Thuaine, "because if you're not an ally you're an enemy."

I panic. He's going to kill me.

I am of District Twelve. He is a Career. I have been unfaithful to my alliance.

The odds are not in my favor.

Running is my first option. Thuaine will catch up to me, and running will have been in vain. Instead, I lift my fist and punch him in the head.

Thuaine obviously wasn't expecting that, especially as his weapon wasn't yet raised. Caught off guard, he falls to the ground, landing with a satisfying thud.

I run.


	27. Transform

_Sorry, Obiwan, but it looks like Thuaine has snapped for the time being. Here's hoping he won't stay like this for long. I just thought… "Snapped Lithuania is fun to write, so why not put that in a chapter or something?" and then this happened. _

_Well, he is a Career, and Careers are generally mean, so snapped!Toris seemed natural to write._

_(And I like to make all of my favorite characters go insane. It's fun!)_

_Anyway, I will be doing some Reviewer Rewards for this fic, like Journey does. I have a challenge for you guys: recruit a new reader/reviewer for my story. You will all win something if you do._

_I don't know what the prize will be, but it will be awesome, whatever it is. :)_

_Like I've been saying, I love to share my work with as many people as possible._

_…No, I'm not review-hungry at all. What makes you think that? :) _

**Thuaine Laurinaitis, District Four **

Furiously, I pick myself up from the ground and then shoot an arrow at Canada as he runs.

I miss.

I swear. Loudly.

Reise and Opal cover their ears while I shout these profanities.

"Please don't," says Reise. Still furious, I raise my bow and arrow at her.

She gulps. Good, but not the reaction I wanted from her. I try with Opal. She screams.

Better.

"You better watch out," I tell her, "or you'll be next. And next time I won't mess up my aim." Poor kid screams again. I smile.

"You have to stop," says Reise.

"Not my fault she's a crybaby. I don't know how she made it past the basic Career training. Thought she might be a good ally 'cause she scored high on the training, but she's nuts. Can't go five feet without bursting into tears, can you Opal?"

"Shut up!" Opal shouts. She's fun to get riled up.

"_I'm not usually like this_!" I say in a mock falsetto. I proceed to fake cry, shaking my hands in an exaggerated manner.

Opal doesn't say anything. She just looks at the ground, obviously trying to hide the fact that she's starting to cry. Reise takes over.

"Shut up or I'll stab you." Reise says. As Reise says this Opal begins to draw her sword.

I gulp. I didn't think that Reise was actually _serious_ about killing.

She's got a knife out.

One thing's for sure: I do not want my death to be caused by my ally from District Twelve. That would be the ultimate disgrace.

I raise my bow at her, for real this time.

**Katya Krane, District Two**

Our alliance is on the rocks. Canada's gone and Thuaine is pissed.

And now he's making fun of Opal. His district partner.

She's furious. Reise is furious. They've got weapons out and look like they're ready to kill him.

I can't bear to watch out alliance be destroyed like this.

"Stop it! Everyone just stop!" I shout. I get in the middle of the three of them, arms spread out wide to keep them away from each other.

"We need to focus on killing everyone else, not each other!" I say.

No one listens. This must be how Canada felt. I raise my voice as he did.

"WE ARE A PACK. WE ARE THE MORNINGSTARS. NOW PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN WE ARE NOT GOING TO KILL EACH OTHER."

They listen. Thuaine throws his bow and arrows to the ground. Opal does the same with her sword, except she places it gently to the ground. Reise tosses her knife aside. I drop my pitchfork.

"Let's just calm down, guys. I don't want us to all hate each other. We're a pack. Packs are families in the Hunger Games. Families should stay…together." My voice breaks.

I want to go home.

I want to go home so bad. My family, I miss them so much. I don't want my brother and sister to become Careers. I don't want them to make the stupid, suicidal decision to volunteer and then get themselves killed.

Now I wish I hadn't volunteered. I had to. It was expected of me. I had been so excited and ready to make myself known for something other than my figure. There seemed like nothing else I could do for myself. And I was already a Career to begin with, so I thought, why not?

I want to punch myself for volunteering.

I was stupid. I was vein. All I wanted was to have the Hunger Games transform me into a girl that people actually liked, not the one who was made fun of during training.

The Hunger Games have transformed me, though. Not into the heroic and ruthless Career who is bent on winning and making a spectacle of herself, no. I've become much more mature in this situation. I haven't made any idiotic mistakes. I am always here to help my allies in a time of need.

And I'm helping them now.

"Let's just stop fighting, you guys," I say. "Come on, we need to get some more hunting done."

We walk together as a group. Opal is far more quiet than usual. Thuaine really upset her. Reise keeps raising and lowering her knife as if she's trying to decide what to do with it, to kill or not to kill.

I thought that Thuaine was a better person than this. He seemed so caring in his interview.

The Hunger Games can transform you, though. They can turn you into an entirely different person than when you walked into the arena.

Maybe he was just transformed for the worst.

**Lizzie Hedervary, District Seven**

I've eaten slightly-cooked rabbit mutt.

I have hated every single bite. I can't cook over open fires at all. The outside was burnt and the inside was under cooked.

Sponsors, please send me some food other than this!

I wish I could cook. No, I wish I had an ally who could cook. An ally who could cook would be great. Excellent, in fact.

I think about allies. My mind starts to turn to Felix. As much as I hate to admit it, I miss Felix. We have a history together, you know? What were we thinking, fighting like this!? Can't even remember why we hate each other now.

Maybe we can find each other. While part of me wants to find him so I can kill him, the other part of me is saying, "You're insane!" and wants to find Felix so we can be friends again.

The Hunger Games are messing with my emotions. I don't even know what to feel, what to think, what I want anymore.

The Hunger Games have transformed me into an angry ball of confusion that I don't know how to undo. I don't want to be crazy! I just want to have my friend back.

I want to simultaneously hug him and kill him.

Oh, this insanity is killing me!


	28. Thoughts from Places

_Before I can get into an author's note, I need to write a small little letter to my brother._

_Dear Brother,_

_If you are reading this, you are going against my wishes. So get out. Now. Thanks._

_Hugs and killings,_

_Sharon _

_That's all._

_If you want a really awesome Hunger Games/Hetalia/Death Note crossover I will be giving it to you a reviewer reward. _

_Your challenge remains the same: recruit new reader/reviewers._

_Ready….GO! _

_To whomever this Guest person is: thank you so much for the kind reviews. They bring a smile to my face every time. You rock! Thank you so much for saying that my story is brilliant. _

_This chapter has more of Rod's inner monologue in it. I promise I'll have him speak for real soon._

**_WARNING: Triggers ahead. You have been warned. I don't want any of you to be upset by Rod's narrative. This part of the backstory was something I planned from the beginning, and I apologize if this bothers or upsets any of you guys._**

**Kiku Nihon, District Two**

Night falls slowly, giving me the chance to watch the sunset. Just as I begin to relax it abruptly goes dark.

The sky and air are both a deep blue, but there's no time to marvel at the beauty of it because we're going hunting. All of us, which includes Talia and Romano. Romano looks like he's going to bite someone's head off at any given moment, but that's his usual expression. He'll be useful if we want to intimidate our kills.

Addison says we are after the other Career pack, the one with the Twelves. I'd be much happier if Katya and I hadn't promised not to kill each other. I just can't break that promise. I'd feel like a terrible person if I did.

I discuss this with Gerome as we begin our patrol around the arena. He tells me that I could "accidentally" miss her or something if we end up finding the pack. I don't exactly know how I would do so, but I'll try.

Killing is one thing, but breaking a promise this serious is another story completely.

The rest of the pack discusses where the other pack could be.

"I think I head them by the Saloon earlier," Gerome says. "I'm sure that's where they were heading. There isn't much else in that direction."

"Great," says Addis, "But, Gerome, would you like to tell us why you didn't point that our earlier when we were _actually by the Saloon?_ Seriously, I think you're starting to get influenced by Talia or something."

"Let's just go, okay?" he says. We get our weapons together. Talia and Romano even carry knives on them to be armed. We head on out and search for the Saloon.

All I can do is hope that when we find them, Katya will keep her part of the promise as well.

**Rod Austro, District Nine**

Perhaps I would be happier if I had an ally.

While I may have noted earlier that I it is much easier to not ally with anyone, it is not.

For the most part, life is simpler in solitaire. All I need to do is find an adequate amount of food and get decent amounts of sleep, and only for myself. There is no need to do extra hunting for there is no other mouth to feed. There is no need to be obliged to partake in nightly watches to ensure that no one is near to your camp for you are alone.

While it is much less stressful on the body, being friendless is a strain on the heart. I trained myself specifically to ignore others and assume they were too incompetent to understand what had to say.

* * *

I find it imbecilic that I continue to dwell on a subject that I should have dropped ages ago.

Perhaps I should stop this pointless façade of pretending to be of superior intellect when I am just a grief-stricken adolescent who knows nothing better to do in their life but sulk for a lost love.

There is no reason why I should be like this, is there? Honey's death was years ago now, why can't I let go of the past?

Am I causing myself more pain to hold on to these memories, or would letting go of them just deepen my wounds?

I wish I knew. I wish I knew.

* * *

I wish I could stop rambling on about how much I still love Honey and how I just can't bring myself to let go. I just can't stop thinking about her. How she was in the Games. How she was murdered. How I might be murdered by my own ally as she was.

That's the real reason why I don't want to ally. I don't want to blindly trust someone to watch my back when they are likely to stab it instead.

That happened to Honey.

She was so sure of her ally. They were such great friends.

And then she was murdered.

I was horrified. It was unbelievable. I screamed at the television. I kicked. I swore. I shut of the television and shattered the screen. I collapsed to my bed and cried.

My mother was very concerned. She knew how much Honey meant to me. I just couldn't imagine life without her. I didn't want to imagine life without her. Depression fell over me and there was nothing I could do to drag myself out. My grades slipped from my grasp, the lessons learned in school were pointless. Even my music had lost its soul.

That's what had tipped my parents off, my lack of music. Music is my life. Honey was my life.

I had no life left in me. I was nothing but an empty shell of a being. By that time I had begun to contemplate suicide. My parents, who had discovered my depression talked to me and used the money that they had to bring me to a counselor.

In the beginning, I hardly said one word to her. I didn't trust her. She said she could help me when I didn't want any.

I am not entirely sure what finally made me open up to her. Whatever it was, it saved my life. I started to talk to her and explained my deep relationship with Honey and how much I wanted her and wanted to be with her. She convinced me to keep my life, that I could become someone amazing.

I didn't believe her at first. While I was well aware of my musical intellect, it never quite registered in my mind that I could become a professional. Little by little I started to believe her. With her help, I picked up my violin again.

The first song I played was Honey's goodbye song.

Slowly, my depression started to fade. While still not happy, I am much better than when Honey first passed away. I intend on winning, even if it means expecting the worst from having an ally.

While an ally will probably lift my spirits up, an ally is just as likely to kill me like Honey. While an ally may make me happy, it will be my downfall as well.

There is no way that I am going to have the same fate as Honey.


	29. Okay

_I HAVE PASSED THE ONE HUNDRED MARK! ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS, BABY! I LOVE YOU ALL! _

_*ahem*_

_I would like to thank everyone who's helped me get this far: Number One Fan of Journey, Snuffy of the Wind, Arctica Corniculata Cirrhata, Obiwanlivesforever, ThisAwesomeKid, kopycat101, Socbballluver13, and the awesome Guest. You are all so amazing and awesome and thank you so much for reading my story. You have no idea how much it means to me. _

_Thank you so much. :D _

_Just a little warning: more swearing ahead._

**Canada Williams, District Twelve**

I trudge around the sandy desert, away from the Saloon. I'm out of the town, nearing the woods.

A ghost town surrounded by a sandy desert surrounded by forest. I think about that for a minute, contemplating on how utterly bizarre this arena is.

How can I be less invisible to sponsors? Kill. That's an easy question answered. I've got an ax and know how to use it. And I'm going to use it. If I want to win, killing is inevitable.

Killing aside, my mind is on another topic: loss. I haven't much left in my life. No allies on account of my mouthing off to them, no food as I didn't think to take any with me, and no shelter on account of my thoughtless wandering around the arena.

I'm not strong enough to win, though. That one kid won recently, true. But by the looks of it, though, the odds were in his favor. The odds are not in my favor.

I don't think I have the ability to actually kill. I can use my ax, sure, but I'm far too much of a goody-goody to actually murder someone.

I'd feel too awful if I killed someone. But if you don't kill, you don't live.

I'm going to die, aren't I?

I am going to die in the arena.

The fact that I'm going to die makes me feel even worse. Usa shouldn't have died. She should've won. I'm not saying that because I'm her brother-was her brother- okay fine. I am. I miss everyone so much. Are Maman and Papa fighting still? Do they still care about me?

What will they do after I die?

They won't be parents anymore, will they?

It's going to break their heart.

I have to win. I need to keep my family intact. I just can't bear the thought that my family won't even exist after I'm gone.

Maybe I just need more confidence. And maybe not listen to my conscience so much. I've always been the quiet, reserved type of person, but it's time for something new. It's time to be able to kill.

It's time to become the all new Canada Williams. I raise my ax to get a little more into character.

Yeah, this is going to be good.

**Russo Ginski, District Six **

Though my mind tells me that it's time to pull some weight in this alliance, my heart is not strong enough. Tino has been trying so hard to be nice, collecting berries and stuff for me.

Nobody thinks that a big guy needs protection or comfort. I am just like any other person. I need someone who cares about me. And I'm sure that Tino isn't sincere. I don't want his comfort.

We sit by log (a real one this time.) We don't know what to do with ourselves. We need some kind of food that's better than berries. Neither of us knows when we'll find another pig mutt or if there's any other meat in the arena.

Our lack of food only adds to my sadness. Tino tries to comfort me. "Russo, are you okay?" he asks for what seems like the millionth time.

"What do you think?" I spit. "You say you want to help me, but it can't seem to get past your feeble little mind that I don't want to be comforted by the likes of you."

He looks at me with a shocked expression. Didn't think I was going to say that, did he. The thing is, looking at that sad little face… it makes me smile. I like that I hurt him. Now he knows how it feels to be me, even if for just a tiny bit.

It makes me feel better, in a cruel way.

"Now if you excuse me, I'm going hunting before you can try to go out of your way to try and help me again. If you care to join me, go ahead. But don't you dare try to comfort me."

"Okay," Tino says. "Are we going…tribute hunting?"

"Yes," I say. "What, are you chicken?"

"No!" Tino says rather forcefully.

"Total chicken," I say with a grin. It is very, very fun to upset him. I pretend to whack him on the head with my pipe. He flinches, like I'm actually going to hit him.

"So, are you going or what?" I ask.

"I'm going." He says with a determined look on his face.

"Not afraid to kill, are you?" I ask.

"Nope," says Tino. He gets up from the log. "We'll go up to the forest part. See if there are any tributes out there. Right?"

"Okay then." I say. "Let's hunt."

**Talia Venez, District Three**

Hunting. Hunting, hunting, hunting, hunting, hunting, hunting!

I repeat the word over and over as we walk.

"Talia," Romano says in a voice that means I have to stop. Addison glares at me.

"Retard," she mutters, and then says something else that Romano says I shouldn't repeat.

"Why?" I ask.

"It's a bad word. Worse than the words I say, okay?"

"And what makes it worse?" I ask again.

"It means…that you're…less of a person." Romano says in a low whisper.

I'm about to ask why but he says, "Do not repeat the word, okay?"

"Okay." I say.

"Okay." Romano says.

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

How can somebody be less of a person, though? Since Romano isn't giving me answers, I ask Gerome.

"Don't pay attention to Addis, okay? She's nothing but a son of a bitch who doesn't know what she's talking about. If she said something that upset you, she doesn't know who she's dealing with. You aren't any less of a person, Talia."

"Thank you," I say. Romano says you should thank people when they complement you, even though he doesn't He should listen to his rules more often.

"But wait," I say, "If she's a son of a bitch, why do you hang out with her?" I ask.

"Talia!" Romano exclaims.

"I thought she was good, but she wasn't." says Gerome. "Okay?"

"Okay," I say. I think I understand. Some people act nice to you at first but then they turn out to be really…

Bad.

"Does she ever hurt you?" I whisper to Gerome.

"No," he says. "But she hurts others. You saw that kill, right?"

"Romano made me cover my eyes." I say. It's not like I wanted to watch, anyway.

"Talia, I just wanted to say that you are not any less of a person, okay? You. Are. Beautiful." Gerome says.

"Ugh, just shut up with the fricking lovey-dovey shit," says Addison. "It is so annoying." We keep walking without much discussion.

"Guys," Kiku says, "We're getting close to the Saloon. Get your weapons ready." I don't know how to use weapons too well. I lack the coordination. I have a knife, but I don't know how good that will be.

I'm scared. The people we are going to attack are Careers, too. I don't want to get killed by them.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay," I mutter. It makes me feel better.

"You alright, Talia?" asks Romano.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay." I repeat. Gerome puts his arm around me to comfort me. I don't flinch. I like Gerome. And I want to be near him.

"We will be fine," he says. I want to believe him.

I take a deep breath as we walk through the swinging doors of the Saloon.


	30. Bar Brawl

_Things are starting to get interesting, da? _

_The previous chapter is the beginning of a story arc. To quote Canada, "This is going to be good."_

_Enjoy the Bar Brawl. :D_

**Opal Fagin, District Four**

Team Morningstar eats dinner by the bar. We have an abundance of jerky, and still have enough dried fruit to go around. At this moment, I don't care if the jerky is full of preservatives or pork. I'm just lucky to have food on my…

_Swish-BANG_ go the Saloon doors. That doesn't make sense, everybody in the pack is right here…

Wait a minute. Crap! We look at the group entering the room. They have their weapons ready. I stifle a scream.

"Not one word, Opal." Thuaine says. "Not one word."

It's the _other_ Career pack. I scream for real. Addison is in the front, donning brass knuckles. She's got such a nasty smile on her face, so glad to be doing this.

The whole world stops. And then everything turns into fast-forward not a second later.

The next thing I know weapons clang; tables fall down, and there is shouting everywhere. I add to the noise, shrieking as loud as humanely possible. I bump into Talia, the youngest member of the pack. She's beyond frightened as well. We look at each other for a second. We are both so scared right now. I'm not going to kill her. All I want is to get out of here, not kill someone who didn't even try to hurt me.

"Please don't kill me!" she shouts.

Without any idea of what else to do, I nod and run off, looking for the rest of my group. We have to escape this Saloon! Everyone's fighting, how will I be able to get them away from all of this?!

With lack of any other plan, I hide behind the bar for extra protection. I curl up into a little ball, telling myself, "It's okay, it's okay; everything will be just fine."

Just as I feel calm enough to assess the situation, someone hops over the bar and right next to me.

"Sup, Lowlife." Addison. "You're dead meat, you know. There's no need to even_ try_ to fight me you pathetic-"swear word-"because you are not going to get out of this Saloon alive."

She's going to kill me. She's going to kill me!

Do something, idiot! Attack her! She lunges first, barehanded. I am defenseless, curled up in a ball. She tackles me, knowing that it'll be easier to get me when I'm already down. Wish I thought of that before she did.

Her hands grasp my neck, squeezing hard.

Oh dear God, help me! Someone, please! There's more fighting going on around me. No one will care if I get killed. My vision blurs. No! I can't die now! If I could cry, I would. I can't even utter a cry for help due to lack of oxygen. Does anyone care that I'm going to die? Everyone is just fending for their own lives, no one cares about-

By some miracle, Addison lets go of my neck. She lies on the ground, swearing. I breathe in deeply, nearly hyperventilating. I find Reise behind the bar, a few steps away from Addison.

"What just happened?" I ask.

"Bought us some time," says Reise. "I stood at the top of the bar and then jumped. I hit her in the back."

"You saved my life." I say.

Reise smiles at me quickly. "Yeah, I did. But we don't want that to have been for nothing, now do we? We have to get out of here, pronto."

She extends her arm to help me up. We try to get the others before it's too late.

**Thuaine Laurinaitis, District Four**

Gerome seems to be stronger than me. He proves this in battle. I don't have my bow and arrow on me; I wasn't expecting this ambush.

I should have been more careful! Why didn't I expect this? It's not like people are going to be like, "Yeah, I'm just gonna let you finish dinner and then we can duel to the death," or something.

If I could just divert Gerome's attention for just a second, I could get my bow and arrow. What to do, what to do? I have one idea, but it means I won't be playing fair. But you don't play fair in the Hunger Games, do you.

I kick him where it hurts. As he collapses in pain, I run to get my bow and arrow to finish him off. He's at a weak point now.

I am interrupted by a shout of, "We have to get out of here we're going to die come on Thuaine RUN!" Opal screams and tries to drag me away. "They're going to kill us they're going to kill us they're going to kill us we have to run we have to run we have to run we have to get out of here come on Thuaine please!"

I grab my bow and arrow. Reise and Opal are badgering me to run, so there's no time to load it now. Instead, when I find Gerome again, I kick him in the stomach to keep him down. He looked like he was just about to get up.

Too bad for him. We need to get away from here! Before we can run, I hear a sudden shriek of pain.

Katya.

**Katya Krane, District Two**

Kiku has a determined look on his face. He holds some sort of sleek-looking sword and heads my way.

"I'm sorry," he says, "But I think I'm going to have to kill you."

"You promised you wouldn't!" I shout.

"No, we promised each other that if we ran into each other in the arena, one would kill the other in the quickest way possible. Nothing was said about agreeing not to kill each other."

"Please, don't." I beg. "Please!"

"I do not wish for you to be in pain," he says. "I promise you that you won't feel a thing."

"I. Don't. Want. To. Die." I say firmly.

I am cornered. I try to punch him in the face but he raises his sword at my arm. I switch plans and punch him in the stomach. Kiku doubles over in pain. I scan the room for my pitchfork.

It's propped up against the wall, not five feet away. Good.

I only begin to dart to my pitchfork when I fall flat on my face. Kiku grabs my foot and holds on to it tight.

He's on the ground, too, still in pain. I wrench my ankle away from him and run. I grab my pitchfork and hit him with it. Only after I realize I should've just speared him with it, but it's too late for that.

I gather up my friends and then team Morningstar runs- _Swish-BANG!-_out of the Saloon doors.


	31. Ever the Optimist

**_Author's Note_**_: I feel like I've been neglecting some characters lately. Well, here you are then! They need some more love._

_So, who do you think's going to be the victor of this year's Hunger Games? Post your responses in the reviews section!_

_Never fear, by the way. I'm going to get a rather _nasty_ character out of the way pretty soon._

**Tino Finn, District Ten**

Russo has a tight grip on my arm. Tight as in, I can barely feel my arm.

"This is going to be fun, da?" he says with a smile.

"Um, yeah, sure. Hunting is…fun" I say meekly. "Um, why are you grabbing my arm so tight?" I ask.

"Don't want you to run off, do I?" he says.

"Aw, look, he really does care about me." I mutter sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"Even though you're so annoying and I want to kill you for being an insensitive jerk, you're still my friend, right?" Russo says.

How one responds to that I do not know.

"My arm is kind of going numb, Russo. Please let go." I say.

"Do you promise not to run away?" he asks. There is some desperation in his voice. "I mean…even though I want to kill you I don't want to see you die."

When one hears that phrase being uttered by a possible psychopath, they have little idea of how to reply correctly.

"I promise I won't run away." I say. What else is there to say? That you promise not to die while hunting for other tributes?

"Oh, thank goodness!" says Russo. He seems truly glad that I said that.

Russo may be big and scary, but he's all right, right? Even though he's psychotic and depressed, he's a nice guy.

Keep telling yourself that, Tino. Keep telling yourself that.

**Lizzie Hedervary, District Seven**

I hear something coming my way. Since this morning, I've strayed from the main part of the arena, heading towards the forest. The desert part wasn't too bad, just a bit hot.

Unfortunately, I'm thirsty, and there isn't any water in the desert.

"Well, it's not like water will just fall out of the sky!" I say, hoping that sponsors will get the hint.

Nothing.

"Well, it's not like water will just fall out of the sky!" I shout.

I hear a rumble of thunder.

Crap.

What a cruel twist of wish fulfillment, huh?

At least it's water.

Hmm. Two can play that game, Gamemakers; two can play that game.

To show the Gamemakers and the viewers that I can take anything that they throw at me, I slip off my shoes and dance in the rain, catching droplets of it in my mouth.

I smile, feeling amazingly refreshed with water and the simple fact that I have created a minute rebellion of doing what nobody expected me to.

The Gamemakers likely thought I was going to run for the nearest shelter-being in the desert area, it would have been difficult to do and would've made the viewers laugh at my misfortune-and regret even asking for water in the first place.

But no, I dance in the damp sand like I'm dancing on the Gamemakers graves, laughing and smiling and singing the entire time.

**Romano Venez, District Three**

Talia's safe. I'm safe. The pack is safe, which is good.

For the most part, at least. We've taken a temporary residence in the Saloon as the other pack ran off after the battle. We sit around a small round table with a row of glass bottles on a counter.

Addison is furious. She swears continuously.

"I almost killed her! I could've finished her off but _no,_ her little buddy from Twelve just _had _to come to the freakin' rescue, didn't she!? I swear the next time I see her I. Will. Burn her."

"Are you serious about that?" asks Kiku. Kiku, with his swift murders only wants the least painful death for the tributes. None of us are thrilled by what Addison says.

"Dead serious," she says. "We're gonna build a bonfire, okay? And then we're gonna find the stupid pack and give them what they deserve!"

"Terrible idea." Someone mutters. I look to see who said it.

It's Gerome. "This is a terrible idea! Why must you do this to people Addis? Do you really want them to die so miserably? We're Careers but we should at least... we should have standards! Please, Addis, don't make them suffer so long."

"Shut up!" she shouts. "I don't want to hear it. One more word against me and _you'll_ be part of the fire, too!" Addison takes a glass bottle from the counter and smashes it on the ground. We all freeze.

Gerome doesn't say a word after.

He is a coward. I may get called a coward but at least I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I don't know what Talia sees in Gerome.

* * *

Gerome appears to be talking with Talia for the thousandth time. His arm is around her shoulder. I feel left out again. Talia only lets family touch her. Well, she randomly hugs people a lot, but only when _she _wants to. I'm really, really shocked that she's changing.

Even though it's a good change, that Talia's more sociable, I secretly wish that things could go back to the way they used to be; back when Talia turned to me when she needed something. Now she insists on being with Gerome.

Kiku walks up to me, looking at my face. "You're upset about something," he says quietly.

"I'm losing my sister." I say. "What if she dies and turns to Gerome in her dying moments instead of me?" I say. It's something that has been worrying me for a while.

"It may happen, but it may not," Kiku says simply.

"You are such a great help," I shoot back, voice chock full of sarcasm.

"All I can say is: I don't know what's going to happen. I can't see the future. You know how much you mean to Talia, right? She's just sort of obsessed with Gerome right now. She's probably been obsessed with a bunch of other things before, right?" says Kiku.

"Pasta. Talia's obsessed with pasta. How do you even know this stuff, anyway?" I ask.

"Career's gotta learn things, too." He says. He smiles slightly. "In case a Career doesn't end up competing in the Hunger Games, they have to know things so they can live a regular life, you know."

I never thought of that before. It's interesting, but not what I need to talk about.

I go back to the main topic. "Do you think Talia still cares about me?" I whisper.

"She's your sister, Romano. Of course she cares about you. She loves you." He's about to say more when Addison yells out to the pack that we need to start gathering wood for the fire.

"Can't build a fire without something to burn," she says. Everyone gets up and gathers their weapons and files out the Saloon doors.

Off to the woods we go.


	32. Raining

_I apologize for taking an unexpected hiatus. It's been nearly a month since I last posted. I'm really sorry about that. Schoolwork and a crowded schedule happened. I'm back now, though, with more ideas than ever. _

_Hopefully._

_I present you with chapter Thirty-two. Do enjoy. :)_

_I hope that this chapter isn't too much for you. While there isn't any gore…yet…there are a bit of…iffy things in this bit. Talia doesn't like discomfort. And Romano likes swearing._

_I apologize for the swearing. _

_Also, Addison's inner monologue has nothing to do with my thoughts on the subject of disabilities. Addison is a complete monster and doesn't know what she's saying._

_Please remember that._

_Also, I have been a fail at Recommended Listening. I quit that part, as I wasn't really getting anywhere with that._

_Also, I'm sorry that I've been focusing on the Careers so much. I promise that next chapter we see Felix! Whether or not that's going to be a good thing is for you to decide… :-) hehehe..._

_Reviews are always welcome, you know. :D_

**Addison Hale, District One**

"Nobody told me it was raining!" I shout at my allies.

"We didn't know it would rain, either!" Gerome shouts back. "So don't blame me, blame the Gamemakers!"

"Let's just find someone to kill. It's been a while," I say.

"So, how many people have died so far?" asks Romano, walking beside Talia.

"Okay, so the Duck-girl from Nine was killed in the bloodbath, and so were both the Sevens, and…" I say all the names of the dead tributes so far. None of them stood a chance, did they?

"…Eight people killed so far. Really, we should've at least wiped out half of the others already! How long have we been here, a week?" I shout. Seriously, we only got eight? And that wasn't even _us._ So many Careers have lost the Hunger Games, which doesn't even make sense because we're the ones who've been trained. I'm not letting this happen this year. We need to kill all the others so I can win.

I don't care about anyone else, I just want to win. Do you think I care if Gerome or his stupid little girlfriend live or die? I couldn't care less if they drop dead this second.

Less competition.

"We'll just need to work harder, then." Kiku says, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah..." I say, getting back to the discussion. "We just need to work harder. I bet you that there's some people in the forest. We'll give 'em a sneak attack. Kill them brutally. We will make sure their last moments are the most painful ones they ever have. We are not going to kill quickly, got that, Kiku?" I say, shooting him a look. Stupid Kiku, killing them swiftly. He's a freaking Career; Careers are supposed to kill as harshly as possible! What an idiot.

Maybe I can kill Talia in the forest. Make it look like someone else did it. Have Romano and Gerome blame each other, get mad and then battle to the death. That would be so hilarious. And when one of them wins over the other, I kill the one left. And then I'll have Kiku stick around for a while before I kill him next. If he weren't a Career, he probably wouldn't be in my pack. I don't really like people like him. He's really weird looking. And I don't like when people look weird.

Freaks and weirdoes have no place in this world.

Talia, though. She's a freak who seriously needs to die. I'm just so sick of her annoying the pack. Does she even have a brain? Seriously, how can you not understand such simple things?

Rain continues to pour. It gets worse and worse, soaking everyone's clothing. I growl at the sky, how _dare_ the Gamemakers have it rain when _I'm_ going to look for firewood!

When I win, I'll show them who's boss.

**Talia Venez, District Three**

It's raining so hard right now. My clothes are completely soaked, and it's making me uncomfortable. I pick at my clothes, trying to unstick them from my body as they're pretty much plastered to me.

Better.

The rain continues to pour, and my clothes continue to be soaked.

Not better.

Worse.

I scream out of discomfort. Why won't the rain just stop!?

_You're going to have to deal with discomfort sometimes, _teachers sometimes said to me back at home. They knew that some things made me feel more uncomfortable than others.

But this is too much. I hate my clothes being unexpectedly dampened. Only when I'm taking a shower or at the pool is it okay for me to get wet. I hate the rain. I hate it!

My shirt is still sticking to me, no matter what I do. I scrunch up my face, shriek, and pull off my shirt.

**Romano Venez, District Three**

Shit. Shit! Talia, why now? Why in the middle of a rainstorm did you decide to throw a fit and take off your clothes! Why?

"Talia! Stop it right now!" I exclaim. I pick up her shirt, now covered in wet sand as well as water, and try to see what I can do about the situation.

"You two! Turn around right now!" I shout at Gerome and Kiku. They were both looking at the ground to begin with, but they do as they're told.

"Control your idiot sister at once!" Addison shouts.

"Can't you see that's what I'm trying to do?" I retort.

"Then do a better job!" Addis booms, "Or I'll kill you both!"

"Seriously," she says, "We were almost in the forest for Chrissake! We were going to give anyone in the forest a bloody sneak attack! And your stupid sister ruined it!"

"Talia. Isn't. Stupid." I growl.

"Yes. She. Is." Addison says, imitating my voice. "Only a complete idiot would throw a tantrum like that." She says pointing at Talia on the ground, crying. The sand on her isn't going to help with her discomfort problem. Good thing that it's raining so hard. The sand will wash right off her.

I wring out Talia's shirt and rinse the sand out. Putting the soggy shirt on my shoulder, I kneel by Talia's side.

"Don't cry, Tal. You're okay. Please get up."

She looks up at me for a split second and then looks at the ground.

I lower my voice. "Please get up. You heard what Addison said, right?"

She shakes her head.

My voice is but a whisper now. "She said that if I couldn't control you, she'd kill us."

She opens her mouth to scream so I say, "Addis won't like it if you scream, Talia. Addis will be very mad. Please don't scream, because making Addis mad is a really bad thing. Okay?"

"Okay," she whispers.

"You're going to have to wear your shirt, too." I add.

"Why?" Talia asks in a pained voice.

"We're being broadcasted on television. And it's bad for people to see you without clothes on." I say.

"Oh…" Talia says. I've explained this to her loads of times already, and she never seems to grasp the fact that clothes are necessary in life.

The rain washes the sand off her back and I've told her that the shirt is going to be still soaking wet when she puts it on.

"Okay," she says as I slide the shirt over her head.

We keep walking until we finally,_ finally_ reach the woods.


	33. The Climb

_A/N: Snuffy, I've got a shout out for you. In the form of Poland. You'll like it. I hope you do. _

_I felt like poor Felix has been neglected, and I really like writing for him. He's real fun and wild and something tells me he's much stronger than he lets on to be._

**Felix Lukas, District Seven**

Eek! Careers! They're, like, coming close by! I can hear their voices from here.

I can also see some people coming. A big tall guy and that nervous blondie dude. I know the big guy's dangerous, but how 'bout the blonde? Tino, that's his name. And I think the tall one; his name is like Russo or something.

Oh my gosh. They're, like, the alliance of the O's! That's totally hilarious. But in all seriousness, I need to hide! They'll, like, kill me!

I can't defend myself at all. Lizzie always defended me in the past.

Ugh. Why the heck did I want to win? I need Lizzie, my Sissy, with me. I don't want her to die. I don't want to die. We need each other. In, like, a non-romantic way of course. I couldn't imagine going out with Liz.

The thought makes me giggle. We're so close it'd be, like, awkward or something.

FOCUS, I tell myself. I need to hide! It's raining! People are nearby, and something tells me that they want to hunt for tributes. Where to hide, where to hide? And can I stand another moment in the rain? I pace in a circle while biting my nails to help me think of a plan. I suddenly remember I'm in a forest. And what exist in forests.

Trees! Trees exist in forests! I'll hide in a tree. I'm no good at doing boy things like tree climbing, though. That's what Lizzie does. I could try, because if I don't do something soon, the Careers will, like, murder me!

I search for a tree that has branches low enough for me to reach. If I'm going to have to hide in a tree, I should be able to climb it first, am I right?

I grasp a branch and haul myself up. Alrighty then! I'm off to a good start, huh? Hope I don't, like, fall out. I've got a pretty steady grip, so that won't be a problem. The rain isn't loosening my grip. Good.

Though I'm no tree climber, you have to at least learn if you want to get away from bullies. And tributes out hunting are, like, the worst bullies of all.

Taking a deep breath, I reach for another branch and scurry up the tree. This is easier than I thought!

Don't jinx yourself now, Felix! I think. Just stay away from the Careers and The O's. All I need to do.

I climb higher and two good things happen: the rain is beginning to stop and, in the distance, I can see Lizzie! She dances in the rain, not caring what affect it will have on her. She might also be singing, but I'm not sure. I think I can hear her, though.

"Lizzie! It's Felix! I'm right here!" I call to her.

She continues to dance like she didn't hear me. I call to her again.

"Liz! Sissy! It's me, Felix! C'mere, You! I'm right over here! I'm right here, Lizzie! Listen to me!"

She's too far away.

And I just made a ruckus. And I can hear the O-Team's voices!

No! This is bad!

Just stay in the tree. Maybe they'll think my shouting came from another tree? Could they even hear me?

I hope they couldn't.

But that doesn't make sense! If I could clearly hear their voices, couldn't they hear-

"That shout came from the tree!" shouts Russo.

…they heard my voice.

Oh my lord they heard my voice.

Russo knows I'm up here.

Russo will kill me.

But he's a big lumbering idiot! I bet he's too big to climb trees! He can't get me.

Just to be safe, I climb a little bit higher. I guess I'm at the middle of the tree as I'm high up but the branches are still thick. And I hope for the best that no one is going to get me.

**Russo Ginski, District Six**

My dumb ally and I walk through the forest. I swear I can see a blond boy run a few metres away.

"Found one," I tell Tino. He's jittering with nervous energy.

"We're gonna kill someone?" he asks, which I reply a firm, "Yes." He looks horrified.

"Oh, come on. We're only going to kill someone." I say.

"And that's reassuring?!" Tino shouts.

"We won't hurt them!" I say. "Only kill."

"Doesn't killing hurt?" Tino asks.

"Oh, yeah…" I say, scratching the back of my head.

"I have officially confirmed my theory that _you are insane!_" cries Tino.

"Isn't the first time I've heard that." I retort. I raise my pipe. "You really don't want to mess with me, you know."

"N-no, sir! Not at all!" Tino trembles. Aw, he's trembling like a little kid who got scared by a woodchuck or something.

"Look, I'm going to hunt him down. I'm going to climb that tree. And you, Tino, will stay right where you are and not get killed, because you're too big of a chicken to hunt. Got it?"

"Sure!" he chirps. He raises his right hand and putting it to his forehead like he's blocking out the sun.

"Why are you doing that?" I ask.

"…never mind." Tino is a weird one, let me tell you.

I bring myself to the trunk of the tree, and swiftly begin to climb up the branches. I'm grateful to have calluses from back at home or my hands would hurt from the scratchy bark. I call out to Tino before I ascend up the tree completely. While I know I'm going to in this battle-I mean really, that guy is such a_ girl_!-there is that _slight_ chance that he might get me killed. So, out of that small fear of dying, I choose my last words to Tino carefully:

"Okay little weirdo, I'm going to climb now. Bye-bye. Be good my comrade!"

And now I'm off to kill.


	34. Crash

_Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been writing other stories as well, and they really eat up my time, too. There's also been camp and winter break and schoolwork to focus on, too. I've also had a lack of inspiration. I apologize for taking so long and I think that I will only be able to update once or twice a month from now on. I'll try to do more, but I don't know if that will be entirely possible. _

_I don't know why this chapter has been so difficult to write. I'm not that great at fight scenes? I don't know. _

_I will be writing companions to this story, but I'm not so sure about sequels. They're a possibility, but a very slim one. _

_Once again, thank you for reading my story and please read my others, too! Those are what I've been working on in the meantime. _

_Enjoy this next installment. I can almost _taste_ the insanity. _

_(sorry that it's so short.)_

**Felix Lukas, District Seven **

No! No! No! There's rustling in the tree! There's rustling in the tree! I heard something about "Be good my comrade." I don't even know what a comrade is!

Who

What

Where

When

Why

How!?

Russo's voice is getting louder. He says, "Tribute hunting, tribute hunting, fun, fun, fun! Tribute hunting, tribute hunting, yum, yum, yum!"

Crap. He's a cannibal, isn't he.

He's a freaking cannibal who is going to kill me! He'll eat me alive!

_Oh lord help me please don't want to die I want to see Lizzie please don't let me die_

I scurry farther up the tree, the leaves hitting me in the face and splinters getting in my hands. Branches become less and less sturdy every branch I climb. My feet are planted on the fork in the branch, and even that is becoming less and less steady.

Russo's voice becomes louder, more audible, as he gets closer.

He's over six feet tall! Maybe almost seven. And I'm, like, much shorter than that? How am I going to fight him? How will I be able to stand in the tree and fight him off at the same time?

I cry out of frustration.

This is totally unfair. I just want to be with Lizzie. I just need to be with her and everything will be good again.

I JUST NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS TREE!

Oh no. Russo heard me cry! Russo heard me cry! He's climbing my way! The branches near me shake and I continue to sob. I'm defenseless. If Lizzie were here, she could help me fight him.

I see a pipe hook on to a branch, and watch a hand grab the branch.

Another hand is about to reach for the branch as well, freeing the pipe for a second.

Without a second thought, I hold onto a branch and reach for the pipe. Grabbing it with my left hand, I smile.

I have your weapon now, you tall, cannibalistic jerk!

Now how do I use this? Gotta think fast before he climbs to my level. Do I swing it at his head? Maybe I should do that? Will it be enough to kill him?

My hands quiver as I think about my options. My very, very limited options. On mistake and I'll fall out of this tree and DIE.

Gripping the pipe in one hand and a branch in the other, I realize I have never been closer to death than I am now.

**Russo Ginski, District Six**

That girly boy has my pipe. I climb up the next branch, hoping that it will hold my weight. Even if he can climb that high, it doesn't mean that I can. I'm much, much heavier than him by the looks of it...

…Which means I will crush him easily.

The branch doesn't snap. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

I continue my tribute hunting song to scare Felix.

He cries, which is good. Crying tributes are good, as long as they are not me.

I rip the pipe out of his hands-undoubtedly scratching his hands with rust- and throwing it out of the tree. He's got no weapon.

That means I don't have a weapon, either. At least I'm stronger than him.

I'm gonna crush him like a bug. _He's _gonna be the one sad and scared. And the person causing pain will be me.

And it will feel great to have that power over someone.

Smiling, I kick Felix in the stomach. He doubles over, letting go of his branch and holds his stomach.

The branches are thick, but not thick enough to hold such impact. I hear them cracking. Yes, yes, yes!

Shoot. He wraps his hand around another branch and starts hauling himself up. Guess I'll need to take much larger actions, then!

I push him when he's almost up. He's completely caught off guard. Felix doesn't manage to catch onto another and falls.

I watch as he falls, screaming and hitting branches on his way down, and I peek through the leaves to watch as he splats on the ground. His cannon fires immediately after.

Finally, I cause the pain that I had to go through.

Hopefully I can do it again.


	35. Tension

_Dear Readers,_

_I've still been stuck in a creative rut lately, and it's been taking a toll on my writing. I sincerely apologize for not updating. I've just got an idea that _

_I've been toying with and don't know how to make it work. _

_From now on, I'm going to try to update more regularly, but please expect to have irregular updates from time to time…_

_…Or a lot of the time if I'm still having trouble. _

_Don't worry, though, I haven't abandoned Terrible. I'd never do that. This thing needs a Victor, and I won't stop until there is!_

_Love,_

_Sharon_

**Tino Finn, District Ten**

I can't see what's going on, but I hear shouting and see the tree shake. Someone's gonna fall. Will it be Russo? He's much heavier, and I don't think he's quite as agile as Felix, right? I mean, I wanted to befriend him before, but he's gone completely psychopath on me. And the way he always grabs my arm makes me nervous, like he-

Screams pierce the air. A figure falls, his back cracking against the earth. His neck snaps.

Felix. The second dead body I've seen up close. It was done by the hands of Russo, my ally.

"Killed him!" Russo shouts from the tree, as if it weren't already obvious. I stand beside Felix's corpse as I wait for the Gamemakers to collect it. I mean him. I mean what's left of him. I feel ill.

Russo climbs down the tree. "You saw that, right? Did you see him die? I felt such a rush! I mean, woo! It was-"

"What if he had siblings?" I almost shout.

"Who cares?" says Russo. Darn, not the reaction I was hoping for.

"You were all depressed about your sister, Russ. Now you're this crazy happy guy. What's up?"

"Who cares? Let's kill another! Your turn next. Let's go find my pipe." He grabs my arm tight again. I really don't like this. I don't like this at all. Calm down Finny! There's probably a good reason why Russo's got all these weird moods, right? He's just trying to protect me, holding onto me. He's my ally. He wouldn't hurt an ally. He wouldn't hurt an ally.

And he couldn't save his sister, so he probably thinks of me as a surrogate sibling. Gives him a need to protect someone, right? Right?

"Could you let me go?" I ask. He's now got his heavy arm slung over my shoulder, in an odd sort of headlock. If I had brothers I'd probably know more about this, I think.

"I don't want you to run away from me." Russo says.

"Honestly, I wouldn't want to leave if you didn't breathe down my neck!"

"You really don't like me, do you?"

"You're scary, emotional, like seven feet tall or something and I keep getting this vibe that you like me or something-Which I'm flattered about, but I'm not interested." I say.

"What," says Russo.

"What?" I ask.

"You're paranoid, man." Russo says.

"You're an emotional wreck, man." I counter, imitating him. "And you just killed someone. You need therapy."

"Thanks." Russo says flatly.

"Didn't you say that your sister also needed therapy?" I ask.

"Yep," Russo says, "a couple of nutcases we are. And so are you. Nervous and jumpy and paranoid. You were so happy in the interviews."

"You, too."

"What happened to us, Tino?"

"The Hunger Games happened." I say.

We walk in silence, retrieving Russo's pipe and then searching for something for supper.

**Canada Williams, District Twelve**

Someone sent me a donation! All I've done so far was stand up to my pack and carry my axe around trying to look badass. Apparently, it's working. I was sent a container of a potato and gravy dish with cheese curds. No fork to speak of.

Using your hands never hurt.

I devour the dish, plenty grateful that I'm not eating rations with the Morningstars.

They all have jerky and crackers and stuff, not real food like the kind from the capitol! Sucks to be them.

It's great to be me. I've got an ax and an awesome dinner. All I need now is a good kill and I'll be fine.

This is the New Me. I'm not afraid of killing. Usa wasn't. I'm gonna be more like her, that's what. But I will win, and for once I'll have done something that she didn't: survive the Hunger Games. If I can't win, who will tend to my family? Keep them together?

There'll be nothing left of my family and everyone will forget about them.

They'll forget about me.

But I'm not going to let that happen. I just need a tribute to kill! Okay, let's just figure out where I am. I was originally in the desert/forest area with the Morningstars, but now I'm much closer to town. I can see it from here, in fact.

I trudge through the desert a little longer and reach town.

Let's see if there's any tributes around. I scan the area. Not many peeps in the town, eh.

Why am I talking like this? Canada Williams does not talk like a pseudo-gangster.

I see someone. A brunet guy slides his way into a house, trying to be nondescript. Descript enough for me to see. Being rather invisible myself, I know when someone is trying to disappear deliberately.

I'll follow him. Follow him and kill him.

I tiptoe my way to the door of the house. Hm. Perhaps I'll try to go through the window. I don't weigh too much, and it'll likely make less noise than the door. I continue my tiptoeing until I reach a window. Planks of wood lay by my feet. The window's open, too. Someone else used the house before me. Are they still there? If they were, they might have killed the brunet already. Or have gotten killed. No cannons have fired yet.

Climb up the window, ax in hand. I crouch on the ledge, and lean my body to get the ax as close to the ground as possible, and then finally drop it when I can lean no more. Hands now free, I grip the edges of the window and start to scoot my way through…and I hit my heat. I cuss, holding my head as I fall through to the inside of the house.

The brunet has heard me. The floor creaks as he walks my way. His face is serious, intent on killing. He holds several kitchen knives in his hands. I frantically search for my ax, which while is just where I left it is much harder to find when you're scared.

I get up and look him in the eyes. He grimaces, and then contorts his face into a scowl.

"Yep, it's me. Canada. You probably didn't even know my name beforehand, did you? Nobody would remember a lousy little Twelve, will they? Well, they will after I win the Hunger Games."

No response.

"Hardly any of the other Twelves can use an ax as well as me. And look who's got an ax right with them? Me."

Still nothing.

"Are we gonna fight? 'Cause you're as responsive as a brick wall."

He nods, and wields his knives. I hold my ax in what I think is a menacing fashion.

I just started a fight. I'm going to be in a fight to the death. I've been close to death earlier in the Games, but I've never been in a more severe position than a duel.

Can I actually do this?


	36. Plotting

**Rod Austro, District Nine**

A blonde faces me, wielding an ax and stating empty threats. I choose not to respond to his gloats. He's obviously quite afraid of killing.

"You're gonna die!" shouts the blonde.

_We all do eventually, after all. _I add silently. No point wasting my breath on the likes of him. I raise my knives closer to face level, reminding him of why I'm here.

The blonde being too scared to actually cause damage, I strike first. My right hand knife catches only air, but it energizes Blondie to do more than make empty threats. He strikes back. I make a quick hop to the right, and cut into the wooden axe's handle.

I cut thoroughly. The axe snaps in half, leaving Blondie weaponless. His hands shake, trying to figure out what to do. Should he risk himself getting cut and attempt to salvage the ax head?

There is no time left for that. I lunge forward, cutting him with my second knife as he bends to pick up the axe head. He shouts a profanity and clutches the side of his stomach. Blondie lies on the floor, trying to keep the blood from escaping him.

"Would you like to share some last words?" I ask.

I stand over him and crouch down close to his face. Normally, I don't enjoy being close to people I don't know well, but I believe this is an exception. His words are a stream of consciousness, one leading into another without time to think about what comes out of his mouth.

"I'm Canada Williams I'm from District Twelve I'm gonna miss my family. I hope that they know that I love them even though they don't love each other!" He gives a sob, resulting in more sniffling.

His words are deep for a dying man. I give him a nod of approval. He certainly has the potential to become an intellectual.

The thought of sparing him and having him become my ally does cross my mind, but he's lying on the floor bleeding out. He's in terrible pain, gasping and crying.

It is the least I can do to kill him now. I dig one knife into his shoulder. He yelps, but it makes it easier to keep him where he is. The other knife stabs him in the heart.

Canada screams again. He gives me one last look, eyes wide with fear. I do not look away, even when he collapses to the floor. Motionless.

Canada Williams has become a corpse.

I get up and leave the room as his cannon fires with maybe the slightest hint of a swagger in my walk. I do declare: that was a fine kill indeed.

**Kiku Nihon, District Two**

The rain tapers off as we get close to the forest. Suddenly, though, we hear a screech of a microphone over a loudspeaker.

"Tributes, tributes!" says a cheery voice. "You are too spread out! Therefore, we have created a new rule to the Games: The forest will become a Forbidden Zone by nightfall. In case you're wondering, 'will the desert become forbidden too?'"-She says in a mock child's voice-"Then YES! The desert will become forbidden in twenty-four hours. Enjoy it while you can. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Well, that was a surprising turn of events.

Talia blinks. Addison curses. Romano and Gerome stare at each other.

"Let's walk," I say.

"They can't just do that!" shouts Addison. "Idiots! We've just gotten to where the tributes are and now we're not allowed to go in!" She swears enough to make Romano, who has cursed up a storm lately, look mortified.

I counter her anger with reason. "No, that's not it. Why else would the Gamemakers shut down the forest unless tributes were hiding in there? They're clearly planning to flush them out towards us. All we have to do is wait."

Addis groans, but complies. She still kicks some sand with her shoe to show her upset.

"That's our plan, okay?" says Gerome, as if his saying it will confirm it.

"Okay," says Talia. She smiles to Gerome. It seems to be their special word now.

"Let's walk," I repeat. "It is beginning to get dark. Curse those Gamemakers."

We walk back through the desert, trying to go as fast as possible. We have been silent for much too long. No one appears to be around us. The last tribute I saw in the desert was a girl with a spear who was far away from us when I spied her. Seems like a good time to talk. Start with a few ice breakers.

"Have either of you ever murdered?" I ask the Threes. Talia's eyes grow wide. She gasps.

"No," says Romano. "We have not."

"Her face says otherwise," says Addison in a singsong voice.

"Does she look like the kind of person who would kill?" Gerome says to Addison. She groans again and powers ahead.

"Quit talking for me!" Talia says to Gerome. "And no, I didn't kill. I was just surprised that you asked that!"

"Oh. Okay," I say. We get to be about two miles from town when Talia asks, "Did any grownups ever say that you hate kids?"

"No. Why?" I ask.

"Because you kill kids, that's why. You were trained to kill."

"Are there people who don't like Careers?" she asks.

"Yes," I say, "there are some people against the Careers, but most of those in my district believe that it will bring their family honor. That includes my family. Does that explain it to you?"

"Yes, but has anyone ever told you that you were an awful person because of it?"

"No, no one has ever said that to me." I say.

"Good. Even though you kill you're still very nice! And the same goes for you, Gerome!" We both smile.

I do like it when people think I am nice. I like being likable.

Unfortunately for them, my likability is all an act. While I do not hate them, I will need them to die in order for me to win. I have recently begun plotting each of their demises.

I will start with Addison, as she is one that we could do without. I will let Gerome and Talia be cutesy couple for a bit until I cannot take it much more, and then I will kill them. Cleanly, of course. They are nice ones.

If I kill them before I kill Romano, Romano will have my head. I should probably kill him before them, but then Talia will cry and they won't get to be a cute couple and Gerome would kill me for killing Romano.

Perhaps I should think this through a little while longer. As for right now, I just need to focus on reaching the town before we are all too exhausted to go further. The moon shines over the ghost town, outlining it for us. We feel our way through the area until we find our old department store hideout.

I will think about this tomorrow. I hope that the other tributes will all just kill each other because while I am trained to fight to the death, there is only so much killing one can take. Killing my friends will be more than enough.


	37. Sanity Slippage

**Russo Ginski, District Six**

"What are we going to do?" asks Tino. "We're deep into the forest already, how are we gonna get out before dark?"

"Simple," I say, "we run."

"What are we running from?" Tino asks. "Will they send mutts after us? Make us explode? It's not even dark yet, so it's probably okay to keep our pace at a fast walk to a jog or-"

"Okay, we'll jog." I say, cutting him off. The two of us shoot off out of the heart of the forest. The trees are immaculately green, a little too green for this weather. The Gamemakers must truly love decorating this stupid arena. I know I would if I were them.

We jog for a while. And then slow to a walk. We're nearly to the edge of the forest. I look up at the sky. It's a bit too blue for this time of day. Supposed to be near dark, isn't it. Anyone sending us donations? Nope. I groan.

"Aw, come on! I killed prissy-boy earlier. Didn't get donations from that, now did we? Think we'll get any?" I ask Tino while catching our breath.

"Don't know. I mean, if we didn't get any from killing, how're we gonna get anything?" Tino's starting to sound desperate, too.

Hmm… "I think I have an idea." I say.

"You're kind of unstable, Russ, and you know that. Can I really trust anything that comes out of your mouth?"

"Maybe," I say, "I don't really know. Look, Tino, I've got an idea on how we're gonna get sponsored, but I'm gonna need your cooperation…"

"Your ideas aren't always the greatest. You told me about knocking that little girl out with a pipe when she asked you for food, you know," says Tino.

"Look, I didn't know if she was just playing up her innocence in order to brutally murder us! I had to!"

"Okay, fine. I'll hear that. What's your idea, then?" I shift my weight a bit, trying to stall for time. Maybe he'll think this is the worst idea in the world! I don't like when people don't like feeling stupid after my ideas get shot down. Better say it anyway.

"Look, have you ever heard of a Showmance?"

**Lizzie Hedervary, District Seven **

Night falls sooner than expected. By now I must look like a barbarian: spear in one hand and meat in the other. Well, it isn't like I've got a backpack, now do I? I'm glad that I'm not too far from the town anymore, especially as the desert will be off limits by next night.

The sky-or what I believe is the sky, at least (you can never be so sure in the Hunger Games) is all nice and starry. Starry Night! Ha, like in art class!

It's sad that I'm finding my own jokes funny. I hate being alone. I keep asking myself how I got myself into this mess with Felix. I wish I had done something different. Maybe tried to have talked him out of the idea of a double suicide. We could have gone on our way, fighting through the Hunger Games together, and even if one of us died, we'd be there for each other during our dying moments.

While not ideal, it's better than walking alone like some nomad talking to yourself.

Maybe if I use the royal "We" I'll feel less lonely! Ha-ha!

We rest by the wind chime place again, despite the noise. We're strong enough to tune it out. We agree to go to sleep after the Capitol announces the dead, which is very soon.

This isn't working! Guess we should go back to using "I."

I feel lonely.

The national anthem is playing.

I go outside to get a better view of the sky. There's that Twelve boy who I can't remember the name of. Wonder what happened to him. Didn't think he'd make it this long.

With the next picture, my heart stops. Felix. He's dead.

But he's my friend even though we got in a fight and he wanted us to kill ourselves and then we didn't talk and I wanted to kill him but then I changed my mind and wanted to see him again because I was lonely and then I referred to myself as "we" and I couldn't defend Felix because we were not together and now he's **dead**!

Help. Help! What do we do I mean I do FELIX. WHAT. WHAT?

Oh dear god help me I can't I can't I don't know what's going on Felix is dead. Deader than dead who killed him who killed him why did they do that how could they do that? How could they?

When I said I wanted to kill him I didn't mean it. People sometimes say things when they're upset that they don't mean. I didn't want to kill him! I didn't want him dead. No. Not at all.

This is why he wanted us to commit a double suicide: so neither of us would get like this is the other died.

Wish I listened.

Dear god I wish I listened.

Living seemed so much more important! Self-preservation first friends second right? Right?

No. I was wrong. Emotions can be stronger than needs. Emotions are needs. I need Felix.

All this time I thought he was talking crazy talk and he wasn't. God I feel awful. I feel like I can't move. I'm just sitting here by the chime place and I just can't do anything. I want to move, but I feel no motivation at all. I just can't.

The question is now if I want to continue living. Can I bear life without Felix? I'll feel responsible, like if I hadn't left his side he wouldn't be dead.

That's a lie. If I had stayed with him, at least he'd have known that I still cared about him. And he died thinking that I hated him.

Maybe death would be an easier option.

Because now, life really just doesn't seem worth it.


	38. Lizzie's Ordeal

**Rod Austro, District Nine **

I might reside in the barn tonight. Certainly there are other places to stay, but the barn feels like my turf. I did have my first kill there, after all.

Throughout the evening, I get lonelier and lonelier. The only interaction I have had with a human was with one that I killed. And talking to oneself is not normal. Despite the fact that one of us would die, it would be nice to have someone to talk to for a while.

Stars have filled the sky. It is late night. Dark enough for me to not be extremely noticeable, but just light enough for one to detect the shape of other people.

In fact, I detect a human figure right as I near the barn. They sit by the wind chimes. Correction: lie by the wind chimes. I come closer. It's the girl with the flower in her hair. Except now, her hair is a mess and she looks as though she's been crying for a very long time.

"Are you okay?" I ask, though it's obvious that she's not. Well, "Are you okay?" could mean multiple things, aside emotional wellbeing. This is the Hunger Games, after all; what if she's been hurt?

"Leave me alone to die," she says, moaning. I don't want to leave her. She looks just like Honey, and I would have comforted Honey in a time like this. "I'm not going to leave." I say.

"Will you kill me?" she asks, almost pleading.

"No." I say firmly.

"Why not?"

"I've already done enough killing for one day. This poor Twelve, he didn't really stand a chance. All talk and no action."

"You didn't kill Felix. Did you?"

"You aren't from Twelve. I only killed a Twelve today." I say.

"Yes, but did you kill Felix?"

"No!" I say. "Did Felix mean a lot to you?" Her crying tells me it did.

"The world," she sobs, "He meant the world. I always thought that we might get married one day, y'know, fall in love. I thought that one day I would, at least. Can people get married and just be best friends? Because that's what we are. Were. We were best friends and we could tell each other anything like how I don't feel like I fit into a neat little box and some days I like the idea of being a guy but other days a girl, I thought I was a guy when I was little but then I learned otherwise and I'm perfectly okay with it I'm kind of gender fluid -you don't care what that means do you-and Felix and I bonded not only over ponies but the fact that he was also a misfit because he was gay and we became friends because of everything."

Her words are jumbled, incoherent from sobs. I sit down and stroke her mussed up hair, her head in my lap. "Talking more might help. It helped me when I was faced with the death of a loved one." I say. "So please tell me, how did you meet?"

"Orphans. We're orphans. Felix never knew his folks. I knew mine but they were no good. The Peacemakers did something right by taking me away from them. If only they could do something about the state of the orphanage." She chuckles lightly. It's nice to hear a laugh between her cries.

"They had some livestock to keep us busy with, farm animals and stuff. Ponies. We loved ponies. I would annoy the caretakers by not responding to my name on some days. Some days I was Eli and others Lizzie. They thought I was just being a brat. Then the kids would pick on Felix for playing with dolls and stuff and I would beat 'em up for him. They called him Sissy, but then I got them to call me Sissy instead because he was a brother to me and if anyone objected I'd beat them up so they should all just listen to me."

I let her talk without interruptions. She tells of a failed suicide pact and the fight that followed; why she wasn't by Felix's side in death. I continue to stroke her hair until she's finished.

"Lizzie?" I ask. "Are you capable with being alone?"

"No. But I don't want you to die and leave me, either."

"Nor do I wish that upon you." I say.

"Are we allies?" she asks.

"I believe so."

"What's your name?"

"Rod Austro. Erm, how do you…what should I refer to you as?"

"Lizzie. Lizzie's fine." She makes a small smile.

"It must be difficult explaining that to people."

"Which is why I don't! It's too difficult to explain to people that I don't always feel like a girl, but not always like a boy. They think it's either this or that, and if you switch you can't go back. Dumb. The other kids would make fun of Felix more, though. But I took care of them. Took even better care of him."

She begins to sob again, as did I when Honey's death was fresh.

"Hug?" I ask, open arms. I don't need to wait for her response; I just pull her in.

I let her cry again, waiting patiently for her to calm. My shoulder is now damp with tears, but I couldn't care less. Sometimes, one will do anything for the sake of comforting someone else, especially when they went through a similar event.

"I understand why you wanted to commit double suicide," I say. "It's just too painful to deal with loss. I had to deal with it, too. I lost my love, Honey. She looked much like you, albeit more girlish. We would babysit these small children; two whom she thought would make a _wonderful_ couple. It was fun. It was almost like we were a family."

"Just like Felix and I, like siblings."

"We were like husband and wife, though," I say with a smile.

"Are we going to have some sort of strategy for the rest of the Games?" Lizzie asks, suddenly.

"I was going to try to win in honor of Honey, but I don't know what state I'll be in if I lose you as my ally." Or friend, I should add. But I don't.

"Maybe we can-"

"-Carry out a double suicide if the two of us are in imminent danger?" I say, finishing for her. "My thoughts exactly. Neither of us would be in a well enough emotional state to keep fighting if we lost the other."

"Deal?" asks Lizzie.

"Deal," I reply.


End file.
